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Chinese  Nights  Entertainments 
Stories  of  Old  China 


THE  HOME  OF  KNO  TZU  CHIEN,  CHINESE  SAGE 
AT  THE  STORY  TELLING  HOUR. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS 
ENTERTAINMENTS 

Stories  of  Old  China 


SELECTED  AND  EDITED  BY 

BRIAN  BROWN 


FOREWORD  BY 
SAO-KE"AT;rAED  SZE 
Chinese  Minister  to  the  United  States 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 

BRENT  ANO'S 
Publishers 


BRENTANO fe 
All  Rights  Reserved 


PRINTED  IN  TH3D  VNVTZD  STATES  OF  AITEEICA 


I  L 


FOREWORD 

In  the  old  quaint  tea  houses  by  the  roadside  or 
the  crowded  houseboats  on  their  way  to  the  tem- 
ple, the  Chinese,  since  time  immemorial,  had  the 
habit,  like  the  people  in  the  time  of  Chaucer,  of 
telling  stories.  Some  would  narrate  their  own 
experiences,  while  others  would  simply  repeat 
what  they  had  committed  to  memory  since  their 
childhood.  These  tales  were  handed  down  from 
one  generation  to  another  until  they  became  a 
part  and  parcel  of  the  nation's  culture  and  life. 

Fantastic  and  mysterious,  these  fables  were 
originally  intended  for  entertainment.  As  time 
went  on,  however,  greater  significance  was  at- 
tached to  them.  Leslie  Stephen  spoke  of 
Horace  Walpole's  "Castle  of  Otranto" :  "Ab- 
surd as  the  burlesque  seems,  our  ancestors  found 
it  amusing,  and,  what  is  stranger,  awe-inspir- 
ing." The  same  might  be  said  of  the  stories  col- 
lected in  this  volume. 

Fiction  is  not  necessarily  entirely  devoid  of 
truth.  Practically  in  every  one  of  these  stories, 
one  will  find  bits  of  information  about  China's 


93SC99 


FOREWORD 


custom,  manners,  history,  and  even  philosophy. 
Their  grotesqueness  never  mars  their  theme  ；  and, 
like  the  Fables  of  ^sop  or  Le  Fontaine,  each 
of  them  imparts  a  moral.  Chinese  hedonism  is 
never  perfect  without  a  lesson. 

In  the  days  of  old,  novels  and  short  stories  had 
no  recognized  place  in  Chinese  literature.  The 
old  literati  never  aspired  to  be  a  story  teller. 
Time  has  changed  and  now  the  bookstores  in 
China  are  literally  flooded  with  stories.  A 
fairly  educated  man  is  supposed  to  be  familiar 
with  the  works  of  Chehkov,  Maupassant,  and 
Kipling. 

It  is  quite  noticeable  that  the  American  public 
is  taking  a  deeper  interest  in  Chinese  literature 
now  than  they  ever  did  before.  The  mysterious 
East  is  gradually  revealing  itself  to  the  Occident. 
Miss  Amy  Lowell's  recent  translations  of  Chi- 
nese poems  have  been  very  favorably  received  by 
the  reading  public  in  this  country,  and  I  am 
quite  certain  that  Mr.  Brown's  present  collec- 
tion will  be  accorded  an  equally  warm  reception. 

Sao-Ke  Alfred  Sze 

June  8，  1922 
Washington,  D.  C, 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  AND  SOURCES 


I  wish  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  the  following 
publishers  and  authors,  for  their  kind  pei  mission  to  print 
in  this  volume,  copyright  material  from  their  publications. 

The  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co"  158  Fifth  Avenue,  New 
York  City，  for  the  privilege  of  including  the  story  "The 
Chinese  Hero"  from  their  publication  called  "Gleaning 
from  Chinese  Folk  Lore"  by  N.  R.  Russell. 

Brentano's.  225  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City,  for  the 
privilege  to  include  the  "Taoist  Explanation  of  Love" 
taken  from  their  publication  "Laotzu's  Tao  and  Wu  Wei." 

John  Murray  of  London,  and  E.  P.  Button  of  New 
York  for  the  use  of  four  tales  from  "The  Taoist  Teaching" 
in  the  Wisdom  of  the  East  Series.  "The  Woodgather"  and 
the  other  tales  in  the  "Chinese  Nights  Entertainers"  are 
from  "A  String  of  Chinese  Peach-Stones"  by  W.  Arthur 
Cornaby  and  published  by  Charles  H.  Kelly,  London. 
"The  Daughter  of  Sun  Hou，,  is  taken  from  an  old  volume 
called  "The  Porcelain  Tower"  translated  from  original 
sources  and  published  in  London  in  1840, ― this  work  is 
long  out  of  print, 

T.  Werner  Laurie,  Ltd.^  London,  for  the  use  of  some 
stories  from  Herbert  A.  Giles,  "Strange  Stories  from  A 
Chinese  Studio."  While  the  arrangement  of  the  tales  in 
this  volume  is  my  own,  and  though  I  have  changed  the 
structure  of  many  of  them  materially^  the  rewriting  was 
always  done  with  the  assistance  of  some  Chinese  friends 
and  the  original  sense  of  the  tales  preserved  in  every  case. 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS   AND  SOURCES 


I  wish  to  express  my  thanks  to  these,  my  Chinese  friends, 
who  are  so  modest  that  they  do  not  wish  their  names 
mentioned.  I  also  wish  to  thank  Sao-Ke  Alfred  Szc， 
Minister  from  China  to  United  States,  for  his  kindness  in 
writing  a  foreword  for  these  tales,  and  for  giving  sug- 
gestions that  helped  the  effort  greatly. 

Brian  Brown 


CONTENTS 


PART  I 

CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 

PAGB 

The  Wicked  Empress  .     .  Told  by  Mo  Ti  Fah  .  3 

The  Origin  of  Tea      .     .  Told     hy     Kno  Tzu 

Chien       ....  10 

The  Merchant's  Son  .     .  Told  by  Chang  Ti  15 

The  Stone   from  Heaven  Told  hy  Wang  Mang  .  23 

The  Thunder  God  .     .     .  Told  hy  Key  Fah  .     .  31 

Yang  Sung's  Dream   37 

The  Wood  Cutter  .     .     .  Told   by    Tung  Chou 

Kion  49 

The  Painted  Cat    .     .     .  Told  hy  Ling  Wang  .  73 

The  Fisherman  ....  Told  hy  Young  Lee  .  76 

PART  II 
TAOIST  TALES 


The    Taoist's  Description" 
OF    Heaven  . 

The  Taoist  Explains  Love 

Story  of  Effort  and  Des- 
tiny   

The  Illness  of  Chi  Liang  . 

The  Intelligence  of  An- 
imals   


Told  hy  Kang  Lang  Ti  89 
Told  by  Mah  Ti  .  .92 

Told  hy  Lang  Li  Fu  .  Ill 
Told  by  Ming  Hi  .     .  113 

Told  hy  Yin  Hsi  .     -  116 


CONTENTS 


PAGH 

A  Bad  Memory  •     •     •     •  Told  by  Kuan  Tzu    •  119 

The  Dreams  of  Kan  Yin  •  Told  by  Hen  Tsung  •  121 

The  Wood  Gatherer    •     •  Told  by  Tan  Fan  Fu  •  123 

The  Journey  of  Life  •     •  Told   by   Yii  Hsiung, 

the  Taoist  Sage       •  126 

On  Evolution    •     •     •     •  Told   by   Yii  Hsiung, 

the  Taoist  Sage      .  127 

Man  and  the  Universe      •  Told   hy   Yii  Hsiung, 

the  Taoist  Sage       .  128 

Dreams  Told   hy   Yii  Hsiung, 

the  Taoist  Sage       .  130 

A  Taoist  Charlatan      .     •  Told   by   Yii  Hsiimg, 

the  Taoist  Sage       ,  134 

The  Taoist  Keeper  •     •     •  Told   by   Yii  Hsiung, 

the  Taoist  Sage       .  139 

The  Donkey's  Revenge      .  Told  by  Kai  Li  Kung  .  142 

PART  III 

THE  FEAST  OF  LANTERNS 

The  Eve  of  the  Feast  of 

Lanterns  156 

Han  Hsiu ― Hero     •     .     .  Told  hy  Yang  Chien  180 

The  Wild  Goose  and  the 

Sparrow  190 

The  Country  of  Gentle- 
men  Told  hy  Hua  Yang  .  194 

Contentment  in  Humble- 
ness  Told  hy  Tsu  Keng     .  199 

The  Monkey  That  Became 

King  Told  hy  Wu  Chia  .     .  201 

The  Taoist's  Garden   .     .  Told  by  Tsu  Ting  .     .  205 

The  Flower  Nymphs     .     •  Told  by  Chin  Yun      ,  211 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


The  Home  of  Kno  Tzu  Chien,  Chinese  Sage,  at  the 

Story  Telling  Hour  Frontispiece 

FACING 
PAGE 

Kung  Peng  Tah  and  the  Wood  Cutter    .     ,     .     .  50 

Hsu  the  Fisherman  76 

A  Chinese  Mother  Telling  Fairy  Tales    .     .     .  .120 


PART  I 
Chinese  Nights  Entertainments 


Chinese  Nights  Entertainment 


Jn  a  small  country  town  in  China  there  lived 
a  great  scholar  named  Kno  Tzu  Chien.  This 
sage  was  an  authority  upon  the  old  classics,  and 
he  also  loved  the  folklore  and  fairy  tales  of 
ancient  China.  On  winter  evenings  the  home 
of  this  greatly  loved  scholar  was  a  popular 
gathering  place,  and  many  of  the  old  folks, 
from  near  and  far,  came  and  told  folk  tales 
that  had  been  told  to  them  in  their  youth ― 
tales  of  old  China  that  had  been  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation  in  the  same  way 
一 told  at  the  firesides.  Kno  Tzu  Chien  presided 
over  all  these  gatherings,  (which  might  be  called 
"Chinese  Nights  Entertainments") ,  and  during 
the  evenings  would  consult  several  old  books, 
so  as  to  give  an  accurate  and  detailed  account 
of  the  interesting  history  and  legendary  lore 
which  belongs  to  old  China. 

The  evening's  entertainment  usually  begins  by 
each  guest  receiving  a  cup  of  scented  tea.  A  red 
unglazed  earthen  kettle  is  heard  singing  on  the 


2       CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


fire  in  the  adjoining  kitchen ― so  the  company 
can  be  assured  of  plenty  more  before  the  night's 
batch  of  tales  are  told.  On  the  cook  fire  are  pans 
full  of  home-made  cakes,  slightly  salted  ；  these 
are  to  be  eaten  warm.  They  will  give  joy  to  the 
young  folks 一 when  the  night's  stories  are  half 
told.  With  tea  cups  at  hand,  more  tea  in  pros- 
pect, and  the  savoury  prophecy  exhaled  from 
such  cakes,  there  is  comjJete  satisfaction  among 
the  company  gathered,  to  partake  of  the  eve- 
ning's intellectual  feast.  Kno  Tzu  Chien  is 
seated  upon  a  high  chair,  with  his  right  hand 
towards  the  door,  so  that  all  who  enter  may  be 
given  the  customary  salutation  befitting  their 
station. 

Before  the  story  telling  begins  Kno  Tzu  Chien 
orders  three  sticks  of  incense  lighted  and  the 
foxes  of  the  place  worshipped ― for  the  fox  occu- 
pies a  very  high  place  in  Chinese  folklore ― then 
he  calls  upon  some  one  to  tell  a  tale  of  the  fox  in 
Chinese  lore. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  3 


THE  WICKED  EMPRESS 

Told  By 

MO  TI  FAH 

All  here  know  that  the  fox  is  regarded  as 
far  more  than  a  mere  beast.  It  has  wondrous 
powers  of  transformation.  While,  according  to 
Ancient  lore,  you  can  never  be  quite  sure  that 
your  pet  fox  is  not  after  all  your  grandfather,  or 
some  one  else's,  according  to  the  popular  notions. 
You  cannot  tell  whether  your  visitor  from  a  dis- 
tance, or  even  the  wife  of  your  bosom,  is  not  a 
transmogrified  fox.  The  fox,  or  is  it  the  foxen 
(the  old  non-technical  form  of  the  word  vixen?) 
is  specially  addicted  to  taking  the  form  of  beau- 
tiful women,  often  to  prove  very  "vixen"  after 
all.  The  last  monarch  of  the  Yin  (or  Sha) 
dynasty  (R.  1154-1122  B.  C.)，  who,  "Having 
lost  the  hearts  of  the  people,  could  not  appear  be- 
fore God,  "had  a  wife  yet  more  infamous  than 
himself.  This  woman  united  to  peerless  beauty 
and  consummate  witchery  the  most  inhuman  pas- 
sion for  deeds  of  cruelty.  A  noble  statesman's 
heart  was  cut  out  to  see  the  colour  thereof  ；  folks' 
legs  were  amputated  to  see  what  it  was  that  made 
some  endure  the  cold  so  well.  In  short,  the 
Emperor,  at  her  instigation,  undertook  a  series  of 


4       CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


vivisection  experiments,  in  which  the  victims  op- 
erated upon  were  human  beings.  This  Ta  Ki, 
as  her  name  was,  also  invented  copper  cylinders, 
round  which  the  victim  was  secured,  fire  being  ap- 
plied to  make  the  tube  red-hot.  All  of  which  is 
now  explained  on  the  theory  that  as  the  beauti- 
ful and  innocent  girl  was  on  the  way  to  the  Cap- 
ital, a  specially  malicious  old  fox  killed  her,  as- 
sumed her  form,  and  impersonated  her  ever  af- 
terwards. There,  Mo  Ti  Fah  added,  that,  if  the 
story  be  true,  that  old  fox  is  responsible  for  some 
of  the  finest  poems  in  the  Book  of  Odes,  which 
were  written  to  express  the  admiring  gratitude 
of  a  people  rescued  from  such  enormities  by  the 
half-deified  Literary  King  and  his  son  the  Mil- 
itary Monarch.  "But  among  those  old  poems," 
he  said,  "foxes  are  only  mentioned  as  'solitary 
and  suspicious' ;  their  fur,  together  with  lamb's 
skin,  being  made  into  winter  robes  for  the  court- 
iers." One  poem  speaks  of  "fox  furs  so  yellow," 
another  says,  "Our  fox  furs  are  frayed  and 
worn."  The  down  on  the  fox's  ribs  is  of  peculiar 
fineness,  and  would  make  rich  garments.  Hence 
the  phrase  of  modern  scholars,  "gathering  the  fox 
hair  from  the  ribs  (choice  Literary  extracts)  to 
make  robes."  There  is  no  trace  of  demon  foxes 
in  the  early  records. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  5 


"The  present  idea  about  foxes  seem  to  be  of 
later  growth.  But  in  the  oldest  dictionary  of 
China,  it  is  stated  that  the  fox  is  the  courser  upon 
which  ghostly  beings  ride  (as  the  Immortals  on 
the  backs  of  cranes) .  Nowadays  they  are  re- 
garded as  mischievous  fairies.  They  can  make 
the  seals  of  higher  mandarins  disappear.  My 
grandfather,  though  not  a  mandarin,  thought  this 
might  account  for  his  own  seal's  disappearance, 
until  he  found  that  two  men  were  missing.  So 
the  Viceroy,  when  he  comes  into  office,  does  his 
best  to  propitiate  the  fairy  foxes  ；  and  in  the 
north,  rich  men  have  a  'fox  chamber,'  wherein  vic- 
tuals are  daily  provided. 

"The  suspicious  nature  of  the  fox  is  proved  by 
its  listening  to  the  sound  of  the  ice  under  its  feet 
when  he  crosses  it." 

"But  they  are  artful!"  interjected  one  of  the 
listeners. 

"Yes  ；  there  is  a  fable  spoken  to  a  king  of  old 
time  by  one  of  his  ministers.  'A  she  fox  was 
overtaken  by  a  tiger,  which  was  about  to  devour 
her.  The  fox  remonstrated  with  the  tiger,  and 
claimed  that  she  possessed  a  superiority  over 
other  animals,  all  of  whom  she  declared  stood  in 
awe  of  her.  In  proof  of  this,  she  invited  the 
tiger  to  accompany  her,  and  witness  her  power. 


f 


6       CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


The  tiger  consented,  and  quietly  followed. 
Every  beast  fled  at  their  approach,  and  the  tiger 
dare  not  attack  the  fox,  not  considering  that  the 
terror  was  caused  by  his  own  appearance. 
Thereafter,  when  the  fox  was  seen  in  public,  the 
other  animals  suspected  that  the  tiger 一 with 
whom  she  seemed  to  be  on  such  intimate  terms ― 
was  at  her  heels.  Hence  the  saying,  "The  fox 
arrogating  the  tiger's  power  to  terrify." ， " 

"It  is  the  female  fox  that  has  the  greatest 
power  of  transformation,  I  have  heard,"  said  Li 
Fing.  Our  Scholar's  brother-in-law  told  me  of 
the  case  of  a  countryman  who  lived  near  his  home. 
He  was  very  poor,  and  lived  in  a  mud-brick  hut 
with  thatched  roof.  Having  no  wife  he  was  wont 
to  cook  one  meal  a  day,  and  eat  the  cold  leavings 
in  the  morning.  A  fox  took  pity  upon  him,  and, 
when  he  was  out,  entered  the  house,  changed 
himself  into  a  woman,  cleaned  up  the  place, 
cooked  a  meal  for  him,  and  then  disappeared. 
This  went  on  for  some  days  until  the  farmer  de- 
termined to  watch  and  find  out  who  his  kind  and 
unknown  visitor  was.  So  he  crouched  behind  a 
water  jar  and  waited.  Soon  he  observed  a  fox 
entering  through  a  hole  in  the  wall,  then  turn  a 
somersault,  landing  on  her  feet  a  handsome  wo- 
man, the  fox's  skin  falling  to  the  ground.  The 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  7 


farmer  got  hold  of  the  skin,  and  secreted  it  under 
the  pig's  trough.  When  all  her  good  deeds  were 
done,  she  came  and  searched,  but,  not  finding  the 
skin,  had  to  remain  a  woman,  and  became  the 
farmer's  wife.  In  after  years  he  said  jokingly  to 
one  of  his  children,  'Your  mother  is  a  fox.'  The 
mother  asked  for  his  proof  of  such  a  statement. 
He  produced  the  fox  skin,  when,  turning  a 
somersault,  his  wife  entered  the  skin  and  run  off, 
never  to  return  again.  Yes  as  I  said,  it  is  the  fe- 
male fox  that  has  the  power  of  transformation, 
is  it  not,  Kno  Tzu  Chien?" 

But  before  Kno  Tzu  Chien  could  reply,  an- 
other said,  "Undoubtedly  it  is.  There  was  once 
a  tailor  living  a  hundred  li  from, ― I  forget  where, 
― who  had  a  fairy  fox  for  a  wife.  No  one  else 
saw  her  but  himself.  But  she  taught  him  about 
all  sorts  of  medicinal  herbs,  and  he  was  looked 
upon  as  a  great  doctor." 

"Well,"  said  Kno  Tzu  Chien,  "the  book  of 
Odes  does  say  that  the  male  fox  is  solitary  and 
suspicious." 

"There,  I  said  so!"  cried  Li  triumphantly. 

"But  the  male  fox  is  also  credited  with  trans- 
forming powers,"  added  Kno  Tzu  Chien  ，"as  the 
following  story  will  show :  The  scholarly  son  of 
a  high  military  official,  having  himself  come  into 


8       CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


a  mandarinship,  went  one  evening  to  study  in  a 
hitherto  disused  chamber.  The  door  was  shut 
close,  but  from  a  crack  in  the  window  there  en- 
tered a  thin  form,  which,  having  rubbed  its  body 
for  a  while,  filled  out  into  a  man's  shape.  The 
strange  visitor  advanced  with  a  bow,  and  des- 
cribed himself  as  a  reynai'd  Immortal  who  had 
occupied  that  room  for  a  hundred  years,  the 
former  mandarins  pe'mitting  him  to  do  so. 
'But  as  you  have  come  here,  I  cannot  stand  in 
the  way  of  an  Imperial  statesman  ；  and  so  have 
come  to  explain  that  if  you  must  study  here,  I 
will  give  way,  if  I  may  be  allowed  three  days' 
grace.  But  perhaps  you  will  be  compassionate, 
and  have  the  door  closed  as  before.'  The  man- 
darin laughed,  saying,  'There  are  scholars  then 
among  the  foxes?'  'There  are  examinations  for 
foxes  held  every  year  by  the  Lady  of  the  Tai 
San  (a  hill  in  West  Shantung)  ，，  replied  the  fox, 
'where  degrees  are  given  to  those  worthy  of  them  ； 
the  rest  are  regarded  as  wild  foxes,  and  are  not, 
like  the  others,  allowed  to  compete  for  the  rank  of 
immortals.  If  I  may  exhort  you,  it  seems  sad 
that  honourable  men  do  not  seek  after  that  state. 
It  is  so  much  harder  for  us;  we  have  first  to  learn 
to  change  into  men's  shape,  then  study  their 
speech  ；  in  order  to  which  latter,  we  have  to  learn 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  9 


the  cries  of  all  the  birds  within  the  four  seas  and 
nine  continents.  Altogether  it  takes  us  five 
hundred  years,  whereas  men  are  spared  this  first 
five  hundred  years'  painstaking.  Honourable 
and  Literary  men,  moreover,  have  a  further  ad- 
vantage over  ordinary  mortals  of  three  hundred 
years,  and  as  a  rule  can  give  the  desired  rank  of 
immortals  in  a  thousand  years.'  The  Mandarin, 
accepting  this  explanation,  retired  from  that 
chamber.  In  after  years  he  used  to  tell  his  son 
that  his  only  regret  was  that  he  had  not  inquired 
into  the  topics  set  by  the  Lady  of  the  Tai  San." 

At  this  stage,  more  tea  was  handed  around, 
real  tea  brought  by  Kno  Tzu  Chien  from  Han- 
Yang,  which,  when  brewed  into  a  pale  golden 
liquid,  was  the  more  fragrant  and  palatable  ow- 
ing to  the  presence  of  Jasmine  flowers  which 
floated  on  the  top. 

The  conversation  therefore  turned  on  the  sub- 
ject of  tea. 


10    CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  TEA 
Told  By 
KNO  TZU  CHIEN 

"The  'Military  Emperor'  of  the  Sui  dynasty 
(R.  589-605)  was  once  afflicted  with  bad  dreams, 
in  which  a  spirit  seemed  to  move  his  brain  bones 
about  until  his  head  ached  frightfully.  He  met 
a  Buddhist  monk,  however,  who  told  him  that  on 
the  mountains  grew  a  certain  plant  called  O'ha 
which  would  heal  him.  The  Emperor  followed 
his  advice  with  complete  success.  From  that 
time  on  the  beneficial  effects  of  tea  became 
known  the  wide  Empire  over." 

The  village  "doctor,"  who  is  one  of  the  com- 
pany, feels  that  his  province  has  been  invaded. 
He  has  heard  the  true  and  authentic  history  of 
the  discovery  of  the  tea  plant.  "There  was  a 
man  in  ancient  times,"  he  would  beg  to  repeat, 
"who  was  lying  down  in  the  forest  'on  the 
occasion  of  his  dying,  'on  the  occasion  of  his 
having  been  bitten  by  a  large  centipede.  He  lay 
almost  helpless,  but  'on  the  occasion  of  his  seeing 
a  bush  near,  and  being  dry  in  the  mouth,  began 
to  chew  the  leaves.  'On  the  occasion  of  his  do- 
ing so  he  revived,  and  (doubtless  on  all  possible 
occasions)  recommended  the  plant  to  all  his 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  11 


friends.  And  what  was  that  plant?  It  was  tea. 
Ancient  times ！  Sick  man!  Very  sick!  'On 
the  occasion  of  his  chewing  ！  Quite  well  ！  Ori- 
gin of  tea ― drinking!"  And  he  burned  his  nose 
in  the  inclined  cup  of  medicine,  and  looked  out 
over  the  rim  to  see  at  a  glance  that  Kno  Tzu 
Chien  was  not  convinced  and  that  he  had  lost 
rather  than  gained  position  by  his  true  and  au- 
thentic contradiction  of  what  the  living  encyclo- 
pedia said. 

"There  is  indeed  another  account  of  the  origin 
of  tea,"  said  Kno,  "according  to  the  Buddhists. 
There  was  a  monk  named  Ta  Ma  (Darma,  the 
third  son  of  Kasiuwo,  an  Indian  King)  who 
came  from  the  West  to  China  (about  519  A.D.) 
to  'enlighten  the  Chinese.'  He  exposed  himself 
to  every  possible  hardship,  being  self-denying  in 
the  extreme. 

This  monk,  lived  only  upon  the  herbs  of 
the  field  ；  and,  in  order  to  attain  to  the  highest  de- 
gree of  sanctity,  determined  to  pass  his  nights  as 
well  as  days  in  contemplation  of  doctrine.  After 
some  time  spent  thus,  he  became  so  weary  that  he 
fell  asleep.  This  lapse  troubled  him  sorely. 
He  did  not  consider  that  his  denying  the  five  re- 
lations of  sovereign  and  statesman,  father  and 
son,  elder  and  younger  brother,  husband  and 


12     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


wife,  friend  and  companion,  was  at  all  contrary 
to  the  doctrine.  Though  this  was  the  main  point 
in  the  Memorial  of  Han  Wen  Nung  against 
Buddhism. 

"On  awaking  the  next  morning  he  determined 
to  expiate  his  vow-breaking  sin  by  cutting  off  his 
eyelids  ！  Returning  to  the  place  the  following 
day,  he  was  surprised  to  find  that  each  eyelid  had 
become  a  shrub, — the  plant,  indeed,  which  we 
now  call  tea.  He  took  of  the  leaves  and  ate  them, 
and  found  as  he  did  so  his  heart  was  filled  with 
extraordinary  exhilarations,  and  that  he  had  ac- 
quired renewed  strength  for  his  contemplations. 
The  event  being  known,  his  disciples  spread  the 
news  far  and  wide." 

The  reader  is  hereby  warned  that  the  subject 
of  the  "soft,  sober,  sage,  and  venerable  liquid  ； 
. . . smile-smoothing,  heart-opening,  wink-tip- 
ping cordial"  (for  thus  a  now  forgotten  poet- 
laureate  of  past  days  described  it)  is  not  yet 
finished;  but  while  lips  are  smacking  over  the 
wonderful  decoction  of  real  tea  (with  none  of 
your  willow-leaf  adulteration)  we  may  peep  into 
the  minds  of  the  hearers  and  note  how  perfectly 
harmonious  these  differing  accounts  seemed. 
Our  flagstaff  (as  indispensable  to  us  as  a  banner 


CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  13 


to  a  Chinese  soldier)  is  now  held  in  place  by  two 
main  cords  and  a  bit  of  hemp  twine.  It  is  so  and 
so,  it  is  such  and  such,  it  is  otherwise,  give  a  net 
result  of  perfect  reliability.  The  audience  is 
therefore  sipping  down  indubitable  truths  with 
the  tea. 

Facts  having  been  established  in  a  most  ortho- 
dox, three-ply  manner,  we  are  now  prepared  for 
poetic  decorations.  The  Eastern  mind  scorns 
the  merely  matter-of-fact.  But  Kno  Tzu  Chien 
has  begun  to  relate  that  "in  the  days  of  the  first 
Emperor  of  the  Eastern  Ts'in  dynasty  (317- 
323)  an  old  woman  appeared  in  the  streets  with  a 
vessel  of  fine  tea  in  her  hand,  the  contents  of 
which  she  sold  from  morning  until  evening,  for 
the  vessel  was  inexhaustible.  The  proceeds  of 
such  sales  she  distributed  among  beggars  and  the 
indigent  poor  generally.  But  certain  folks 
seized  the  old  lady  with  the  magic  teapot  and  put 
her  in  jail.  That  night,  however,  both  lady  and 
teapot  flew  out  the  window." 

"It  was  the  Goddess  of  Mercy  herself!"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Li. 

"It  must  have  been!"  said  everybody  else. 
After  which  Li  protested  that  they  had  no  right 
to  cause  their  honored  Kno  Tzu  Chien  to  split  his 


14     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


throat  with  talking,  but  that  if  he  had  "two 
words"  more  on  the  subject,  they  would  all 
"humbly  receive  his  admonition." 

He  had  just  "two  words."  The  first  referred 
to  the  saying  of  an  old  monk,  that  old  and  new 
tea  when  mixed  gave  a  harmonious  but  varied 
taste  to  the  palate.  There  was  a  saying  about 
the  harpischord,  to  the  effect  that  the  full  re- 
sonance of  the  word  was  not  evident  until  after  a 
hundred  years.  It  then  gave  all  the  delicate 
gradations  answering  to  the  phenomena  of  clear- 
ness and  turbidity,  of  rain  and  sunshine,  of  heat 
and  cold,  which  principle  applied  to  tea  also. 

The  second  word  was  a  comparison  between 
the  national  beverage  and  the  scholar's  ink. 
"Tea-drinkers  like  a  light-coloured  decoction, 
and  dislike  a  dark-coloured  liquid.  But  it  is  quite 
otherwise  with  ink.  Ink  loses  some  of  its  bril- 
liancy on  being  left  in  the  slab  overnight  ；  tea 
leaves  exposed  for  a  day  lose  some  of  their  scent. 
In  this  they  resemble  one  another.  New  tea  is 
most  esteemed,  but  the  more  ancient  the  ink,  the 
more  excellent.  In  this  they  contrast.  Tea  for 
the  mouth,  and  ink  for  the  eye;  but  in  old  time 
there  was  a  man  of  note  who  had  a  chronic  com- 
plaint which  forbade  his  drinking  tea,  yet  had  it 
brewed  to  please  the  eye.    And  another  man 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  15 

there  was,  who,  though  he  could  not  write,  was 
fond  of  collecting  good  ink,  which  he  would  rub 
and  test  by  tasting ― 'a  joke  indeed  for  all  who 
hear  it,'  as  my  old  book  says."  By  way  of  post- 
script, Kno  added  that  a  certain  man  of  the  Tang 
dynasty,  after  drinking  seven  bowls  of  tea,  ex- 
perienced a  stirring  of  air  under  the  armpits,  and 
felt  like  flying  to  heaven. 

THE  MERCHANT'S  SON 
Told  by 
CHANG  TI 

In  the  province  of  Hunan  there  dwelt  a  man 
who  was  engaged  in  trading  abroad  ；  and  his 
wife,  who  lived  alone,  dreamt  one  night  that  some 
one  was  in  her  room.  Waking  up,  she  looked 
about,  and  discovered  a  small  creature  which  on 
examination  she  knew  to  be  a  fox;  but  in  a  mo- 
ment the  thing  had  disappeared,  although  the 
door  had  not  been  opened.  The  next  evening 
she  asked  the  cook-maid  to  come  and  keep  her 
company  ；  as  also  her  own  son,  a  boy  of  ten,  who 
was  accustomed  to  sleep  elsewhere.  Towards 
the  middle  of  the  night,  when  the  cook  and  the 
boy  were  fast  asleep,  back  came  the  fox  ；  and  the 


16     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


cook  was  waked  up  by  hearing  her  mistress 
muttering  something  as  if  she  had  nightmare. 
The  former  then  called  out,  and  the  fox  ran 
away;  but  from  that  moment  the  trader's  wife 
was  not  quite  herself.  When  night  came  she 
dared  not  blow  out  the  candle,  and  bade  her  son 
be  sure  and  not  sleep  too  soundly.  Later  on, 
her  son  and  the  old  woman  having  taken  a  nap 
as  they  leant  against  the  wall,  suddenly  waked 
up  and  found  her  gone.  They  waited  some  time, 
but  she  did  not  return,  and  the  cook  was  too 
frightened  to  go  and  look  after  her;  so  her  son 
took  a  light,  and  at  length  found  her  fast  asleep 
in  another  room.  She  didn't  seem  aware  that 
any  thing  particular  had  happened,  but  she  be- 
came queerer  and  queerer  every  day,  and 
wouldn't  have  either  her  son  or  the  cook  to  keep 
her  company  any  more.  Her  son,  however, 
made  a  point  of  running  at  once  to  his  mother's 
room  if  he  heard  any  unusual  sounds  ；  and 
though  his  mother  always  abused  him  for  his 
pains,  he  paid  no  attention  to  what  she  said. 
Consequently,  everyone  thought  him  very  brave, 
though  at  the  same  time  he  was  always  indulging 
in  childish  tricks.  One  day  he  played  at  being  a 
mason,  and  piled  up  stones  upon  the  window-sill, 
in  spite  of  all  that  was  said  to  him,  and  if  any- 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  17 


one  took  away  a  stone,  he  threw  himself  on  the 
ground,  and  cried  like  a  child,  so  that  nobody 
dared  go  near  him.  In  a  few  days  he  had  got 
both  windows  blocked  up  and  the  light  excluded  ； 
and  then  he  set  to  filling  up  the  chinks  with 
mud.  He  worked  hard  all  day  without  mind- 
ing the  trouble,  and  when  it  was  finished  he 
took  and  sharpened  the  kitchen  chopper. 
Everyone  who  saw  him  was  disgusted  with  such 
antics,  and  would  take  no  notice  of  him.  At 
night  he  darkened  his  lamp,  and,  with  the  knife 
concealed  on  his  person,  sat  waiting  for  his 
mother  to  mutter.  As  soon  as  she  began  he  un- 
covered his  light,  and,  blocking  up  the  doorway, 
shouted  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  Nothing, 
however,  happened,  and  he  moved  from  the  door 
a  little  way,  when  suddenly  out  rushed  some- 
thing like  a  fox,  which  was  disappearing  through 
the  door  when  he  made  a  quick  movement  and 
cut  off  about  two  inches  of  its  tail,  from  which 
the  warm  blood  was  still  dripping  as  he  brought 
the  light  to  bear  upon  it.  His  mother  hereupon 
cursed  and  reviled  him,  but  he  pretended  not  to 
hear  her,  regretting  only  as  he  went  to  bed  that 
lie  hadn't  hit  the  brute  fair.  But  he  consoled 
himself  by  thinking  that  although  he  hadn't 
killed  it  outright,  he  had  done  enough  to  prevent 


18     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


its  coming  again.  On  the  morrow  he  followed 
the  tracks  of  blood  over  the  wall  and  into  the 
garden  of  a  family  named  Ho  ；  and  that  night,  to 
his  great  joy,  the  fox  did  not  reappear.  His 
mother  was  meanwhile  prostrate,  with  hardly 
any  life  in  her,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  all  his 
father  came  home.  The  boy  told  him  what  had 
happened,  at  which  he  was  much  alarmed,  and 
sent  for  a  doctor  to  attend  to  his  wife;  but  she 
only  threw  the  medicine  away,  and  cursed  and 
swore  horribly.  So  they  secretly  mixed  the 
medicine  with  her  tea  and  soup,  and  in  a  few  days 
she  began  to  get  better,  to  the  inexpressible  de- 
light of  both  her  husband  and  son.  One  night, 
however,  her  husband  woke  up  and  found  her 
gone;  and  after  searching  for  her  with  the  aid 
of  his  son,  they  discovered  her  sleeping  in  an- 
other room.  From  that  time  she  became  more 
eccentric  than  ever,  and  was  always  being  found 
in  strange  places,  cursing  those  who  tried  to  re- 
move her.  Her  husband  was  at  his  wits'  end. 
It  was  of  no  use  keeping  the  door  locked,  for  it 
opened  of  itself  at  her  approach  ；  and  he  had 
called  in  any  number  of  magicians  to  exorcise 
the  fox,  but  without  obtaining  the  slightest  re- 
sult, One  evening  her  son  concealed  himself  in 
the  Ho  family  garden,  and  lay  down  in  the  long 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  19 


grass  with  a  view  to  detecting  the  fox's  retreat. 
As  the  moon  rose  he  heard  the  sound  of  voices, 
and,  pushing  aside  the  grass,  saw  two  people 
drinking,  with  a  long-bearded  servant  pouring 
out  their  wine,  dressed  in  an  old  dark-brown 
coat.  They  were  whispering  together,  and  he 
could  not  make  out  what  they  said;  but  by-and- 
by  he  heard  one  of  them  remark,  "Get  some 
white  wine  for  to-morrow,"  and  then  they  went 
away,  leaving  the  long-bearded  servant  alone. 
The  latter  then  threw  off  his  coat,  and  lay  down 
to  sleep  on  the  stones  ；  whereupon  the  trader's 
son  eyed  him  carefully,  and  saw  that  he  was  like 
a  man  in  every  respect  except  that  he  had  a  tail. 
The  boy  would  then  have  gone  home  ；  but  he  was 
afraid  the  fox  might  hear  him,  and  accordingly 
remained  where  he  was  till  near  dawn,  when  he 
saw  the  other  two  come  back,  one  at  a  time,  and 
then  they  all  disappeared  among  the  bushes.  On 
reaching  home  his  father  asked  him  where  he 
had  been,  and  he  replied  that  he  had  stopped  the 
night  with  the  Ho  family.  He  then  accompan- 
ied his  father  to  the  town,  where  he  saw  hanging 
up  at  a  hat-shop  a  fox's  tail,  and  finally,  after 
much  coaxing,  succeeded  in  making  his  father 
buy  it  for  him.  While  the  latter  was  engaged  in 
a  shop,  his  son,  who  was  playing  about  beside 


20     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


him,  availed  himself  of  a  moment  when  his  father 
was  not  looking  and  stole  some  money  from  him, 
and  went  off  and  bought  a  quantity  of  white 
wine,  which  he  left  in  charge  of  the  wine-mer- 
chant. Now  an  uncle  of  his,  who  was  a  sports- 
man by  trade,  lived  in  the  city,  and  thither  he 
next  betook  himself.  His  uncle  was  out,  but  his 
aunt  was  there,  and  inquired  after  the  health  of 
his  mother.  "She  has  been  better  the  last  few 
days,"  replied  he;  "but  she  is  now  very  much  up- 
set by  a  rat  having  gnawed  a  dress  of  hers,  and 
has  sent  me  to  ask  for  some  poison."  His  aunt 
opened  the  cupboard  and  gave  him  about  the 
tenth  of  an  ounce  in  a  piece  of  paper,  which  he 
thought  was  very  little  ；  so,  when  his  aunt  had 
gone  to  get  him  something  to  eat,  he  took  the  op- 
portunity of  being  alone,  opened  the  packet,  and 
abstracted  a  large  handful.  Hiding  this  in  his 
coat,  he  ran  to  tell  his  aunt  that  she  needn't  pre- 
pare anything  for  him,  as  his  father  was  waiting 
in  the  market,  and  he  couldn't  stop  to  eat  it. 
He  then  went  off  ；  and  having  quietly  dropped 
the  poison  into  the  wine  he  had  bought,  went 
sauntering  about  the  town.  At  nightfall  he  re 
turned  home,  and  told  his  father  that  he  had  been 
at  his  uncle's.  This  he  continued  to  do  for  some 
time,  until  one  day  he  saw  among  the  crowd  his 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  21 


long-bearded  friend.  Marking  him  closely,  he 
followed  him,  and  at  length  entered  into  conver- 
sation, asking  him  where  he  lived.  "I  live  at 
Pei-ts'un,"  said  he;  "where  do  you  live?"  "1，" 
replied  the  trader's  son,  falsely,  "live  in  a  hole  on 
the  hillside."  The  long-bearded  man  was  con- 
siderably startled  at  his  answer,  but  much  more 
so  when  he  added,  "We've  lived  there  for  gener- 
ations : haven't  you?"  The  other  man  asked  his 
name,  to  which  the  boy  replied,  "My  name  is 
Hu.  I  saw  you  with  two  gentlemen  in  the  Ho 
family  garden,  and  haven't  forgotten  you." 
Questioning  him  more  fully,  the  long-bearded 
man  was  still  in  a  half-and-half  state  of  belief 
and  doubt,  when  the  trader's  son  opened  his  coat 
a  little  bit,  and  showed  him  the  end  of  the  tail  he 
had  bought,  saying,  "The  like  of  us  can  mix  with 
ordinary  people,  but  unfortunately  we  can 
never  get  rid  of  this."  The  long-bearded  man 
then  asked  him  what  he  was  doing  there,  to  which 
he  answered  that  his  father  had  sent  him  to  buy 
wine  ；  thereupon  the  former  remarked  that  that 
was  exactly  what  he  had  come  for,  and  the  boy 
then  inquired  if  he  had  bought  it  yet  or  not. 
"We  are  poor,"  replied  the  stranger,  "and  as  a 
rule  I  prefer  to  steal  it."  "A  difficult  and 
dangerous  job,"  observed  the  boy.    "I  have  my 


22     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


master's  instructions  to  get  some,"  said  the  other, 
"and  what  am  I  to  do?"  The  boy  then  asked  him 
who  his  masters  were,  to  which  he  replied  that 
they  were  the  two  brothers  the  boy  had  seen  that 
night.  "One  of  them  has  bewitched  a  lady 
named  Wang;  and  the  other,  the  wife  of  a  trader 
who  lives  near.  The  son  of  the  last-mentioned 
lady  is  a  violent  fellow,  and  cut  off  my  master's 
tail,  so  that  he  was  laid  up  for  ten  days.  But  he 
is  putting  her  under  spells  again  now."  He  was 
then  going  away,  saying  he  should  never  get  his 
wine;  but  the  boy  said  to  him,  "It's  much  easier 
to  buy  than  steal.  I  have  some  at  the  wine-shop 
there  which  I  -will  give  to  you.  My  purse  isn't 
empty,  and  I  can  buy  some  more."  The  long- 
bearded  man  hardly  knew  how  to  thank  him; 
but  the  boy  said,  "We're  all  one  family.  Don't 
mention  such  a  trifle.  When  I  have  time  I'll 
come  and  take  a  drink  with  you."  So  they  went 
off  together  to  the  wine-shop,  where  the  boy  gave 
him  the  wine,  and  they  then  separated.  That 
night  his  mother  slept  quietly  and  had  no  fits, 
and  the  boy  knew  that  something  must  have  hap- 
pened. He  then  told  his  father,  and  they  went 
to  see  if  there  were  any  results  ；  when  lo!  they 
found  both  foxes  stretched  out  dead  in  the  ar- 
bour.   One  of  the  foxes  was  lying  on  the  grass, 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  23 


and  out  of  its  mouth  blood  was  still  trickling. 
The  wine-bottle  was  there  ；  and  on  shaking  it  they 
heard  that  some  was  left.  Then  his  father 
asked  him  why  he  had  kept  it  all  so  secret  ；  to 
which  the  boy  replied  that  foxes  were  very  saga- 
cious, and  would  have  been  sure  to  scent  the  plot. 
Thereupon  his  father  was  mightily  pleased,  and 
said  he  was  a  perfect  sage  for  cunning.  They 
then  carried  the  foxes  home,  and  saw  on  the  tail 
of  one  of  them  the  scar  of  a  knife-wound.  From 
that  time  they  were  left  in  peace  ；  but  the  trader's 
wife  became  very  thin,  and  though  her  reason  re- 
turned, shortly  afterwards  died  of  consumption. 
The  other  lady,  Mrs.  Wang,  began  to  get  better 
as  soon  as  the  foxes  had  been  killed  ；  and  as  to 
the  boy,  he  was  taught  riding  and  archery  by 
his  proud  parent,  and  subsequently  rose  to  high 
rank  in  the  army. 

THE  STONE  FROM  HEAVEN 

Told  by 
WANG  MANG 

In  Peking  there  lived  a  man  named  Using 
Yiin-fei,  who  was  an  amateur  mineralogist  and 
would  pay  any  price  for  a  good  specimen.  One 


24     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


day  as  he  was  fishing  in  the  river,  something 
caught  his  net,  and  diving  down  he  brought  up  a 
stone  about  a  foot  in  diameter,  beautifully 
carved  on  all  sides  to  resemble  clustering  hills 
and  peaks.  He  was  quite  as  pleased  with  this 
as  if  he  had  found  some  precious  stone  ；  and  hav- 
ing had  an  elegant  sandal-wood  stand  made  for 
it,  he  set  his  prize  upon  the  table.  Whenever 
it  was  about  to  rain,  clouds,  which  from  a  dis- 
tance looked  like  new  cotton-wool,  would  come 
forth  from  each  of  the  holes  or  grottoes  on  the 
stone,  and  appear  to  close  them  up.  By-and-by 
an  influential  personage  called  at  the  house  and 
begged  to  see  the  stone,  immediately  seizing  it 
and  handing  it  over  to  a  lusty  servant,  at  the 
same  time  whipping  his  horse  and  riding  away. 
Using  was  in  despair  ；  but  all  he  could  do  was  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  the  stone,  and  indulge  his 
anger  against  the  thief.  Meanwhile,  the  servant, 
who  had  carried  off  the  stone  on  his  back,  stopped 
to  rest  at  a  bridge  ；  when  all  of  a  sudden  his  hand 
slipped  and  the  stone  fell  into  the  water.  His 
master  was  extremely  put  out  at  this,  and  gave 
him  a  sound  beating  ；  subsequently  hiring  several 
divers,  who  tried  every  means  in  their  power  to 
recover  the  stone,  but  were  quite  unable  to  find 
it.    He  then  went  away,  having  first  published 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  25 


a  notice  of  reward,  and  by  these  means  many 
were  tempted  to  seek  for  the  stone.  Soon  after, 
Hsing  himself  came  to  the  spot,  and  as  he  mourn- 
fully approached  the  bank,  lo!  the  water  became 
clear,  and  he  could  see  the  stone  lying  at  the  bot- 
tom. Taking'  off  his  clothes,  he  quickly  jumped 
in  and  brought  it  out,  together  with  the  sandal- 
wood stand,  which  was  still  with  it.  He  carried 
it  off  home,  and  being  no  longer  desirous  of 
showing  it  to  people,  he  had  an  inner  room 
cleaned  and  put  it  there.  Some  time  after- 
wards an  old  man  knocked  at  the  door  and  asked 
to  be  allowed  to  see  the  stone  ；  whereupon  Hsing 
replied  that  he  had  lost  it  a  long  time  ago. 
"Isn't  that  it  in  the  inner  room?"  said  the  old 
man  smiling.  "Oh,  walk  in  and  see  for  your- 
self if  you  don't  believe  me,"  answered  Hsing; 
and  the  old  man  did  walk  in,  and  there  was  the 
stone  on  the  table.  This  took  Hsing  very  much 
aback  ；  and  the  old  man  then  laid  his  hand  upon 
the  stone  and  said,  "This  is  an  old  family  relic  of 
mine :  I  lost  it  many  months  since.  How  does  it 
come  to  be  here?  I  pray  you  now  restore  it  to 
me."  Hsing  didn't  know  what  to  say,  but  de- 
clared he  was  the  owner  of  the  stone  ；  upon  which 
the  old  man  remarked,  "If  it  is  really  yours, 
what  evidence  can  you  bring  to  prove  it?" 


26     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


Hsing  made  no  reply  ；  and  the  old  man  contin- 
ued, "To  show  you  that  I  know  this  stone,  may 
mention  that  it  has  altogether  ninety-two  grot- 
toes, and  that  in  the  largest  of  these  are  five 
words : 

"A  stone  from  Heaven  above." 
Hsing  looked  and  found  that  there  were  actu- 
ally some  small  characters,  no  larger  than  grains 
of  rice,  which  by  straining  his  eyes  a  little  he 
managed  to  read  ；  also,  that  the  number  of  grot- 
toes was  as  the  old  man  had  said.  However,  he 
would  not  give  him  the  stone  ；  and  the  old  man 
laughed,  and  asked,  "Pray  what  right  have  you 
to  keep  other  people's  things?"  He  then  bowed 
and  went  away,  Hsing  escorting  him  as  far  as  the 
door;  but  when  he  'returned  to  the  room,  the 
stone  had  disappeared.  In  a  great  fright,  he 
ran  after  the  old  man,  who  had  walked  slowly 
and  was  not  far  off,  and  seizing  his  sleeve  en- 
treated him  to  give  back  the  stone.  "Do  you 
think,"  said  the  latter,  "that  I  could  conceal  a 
stone  a  foot  in  diameter  in  my  sleeve?"  But 
Hsing  knew  that  he  must  be  superhuman,  and 
led  him  back  to  the  house,  where  he  threw  himself 
on  his  knees  and  begged  that  he  might  have  the 
stone.  "Is  it  yours  or  mine?"  asked  the  old  man. 
"Of  course  it  is  yours,"  replied  Hsing,  "though 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  27 


I  hope  you  will  consent  to  deny  yourself  the 
pleasure  of  keeping  it."  "In  that  case,"  said 
the  old  man,  "it  is  back  again";  and  going  into 
the  inner  room,  they  found  the  stone  in  its  old 
place.  "The  jewels  of  this  world,"  observed 
Hsing's  visitor,  "should  be  given  to  those  who 
know  how  to  take  care  of  them.  This  stone  can 
choose  its  own  master,  and  I  am  very  pleased  that 
it  should  remain  with  you;  at  the  same  time  I 
must  inform  you  that  it  was  in  too  great  a  hurry 
to  come  into  the  world  of  mortals,  and  has  not 
yet  been  freed  from  all  contingent  calamities. 
I  had  better  take  it  away  with  me,  and  three 
years  hence  you  shall  have  it  again.  If,  how- 
ever you  insist  on  keeping  it,  then  your  span  of 
life  will  be  shortened  by  three  years,  that  your 
terms  of  existence  may  harmonise  together. 
Are  you  willing?"  Hsing  said  he  was;  where- 
upon the  old  man  with  his  fingers  closed  up  three 
of  the  stone's  grottoes,  which  yielded  to  his  touch 
like  mud.  When  this  was  done,  he  turned  to 
Hsing  and  told  him  that  the  grottoes  on  that 
stone  represented  the  years  of  his  life  ；  and  then 
he  took  his  leave,  firmly  refusing  to  remain  any 
longer,  and  not  disclosing  his  name. 

More  than  a  year  after  this,  Hsing  had  occa- 
sion to  go  away  on  business,  and  in  the  night  a 


28     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


thief  broke  in  and  carried  off  the  stone,  taking 
nothing  else  at  all.  When  Using  came  home,  he 
was  dreadfully  grieved,  as  if  his  whole  object  in 
life  was  gone  ；  and  made  all  possible  inquiries 
and  effm-ts  to  get  it  back,  but  without  the  slight- 
est result.  Some  time  passed  away,  when  one 
day  going  into  a  temple  Using  noticed  a  man 
selling  stones,  and  amongst  the  rest  he  saw  his 
old  friend.  Of  course  he  immediately  wanted  to 
regain  possession  of  it;  but  as  the  stone-seller 
would  not  consent,  he  shouldered  the  stone  and 
went  off  to  the  nearest  mandarin.  The  stone- 
seller  was  then  asked  what  proof  he  could  give 
that  the  stone  was  his;  and  he  replied  that  the 
number  of  the  grottoes  was  eighty-nine.  Using 
inquired  if  that  was  all  he  had  to  say,  and  when 
the  other  acknowledged  that  it  was,  he  himself 
told  the  magistrate  what  were  the  characters  in- 
scribed within,  also  calling  attention  to  the  fin- 
ger marks  at  the  closed-up  grottoes.  He  there- 
fore gained  his  case,  and  the  mandarin  would 
have  bambooed  the  stone-seller,  had  he  not  de- 
clared that  he  bought  it  in  the  market  for  twenty 
ounces  of  silver, 一 whereupon  he  was  dismissed. 

A  high  official  next  offered  Hsing  one  hun- 
dred ounces  of  silver  for  it  ；  but  he  refused  to  sell 
it  even  for  ten  thousand,  which  so  enraged  the 


CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  29 


would-be  purchaser  that  he  worked  up  a  case 
against  Hsing,  and  got  him  put  in  prison. 
Hsing  was  thereby  compelled  to  pawn  a  great 
deal  of  his  property;  and  then  the  official  sent 
some  one  to  try  if  the  affair  could  not  be  man- 
aged through  his  son,  to  which  Hsing,  on  hear- 
ing of  the  attempt,  steadily  refused  to  consent, 
saying  that  he  and  the  stone  could  not  be  parted 
even  in  death.  His  wife,  however,  and  his  son, 
laid  their  heads  together  and  sent  the  stone  to  the 
high  official,  and  Hsing  only  heard  of  it  when  he 
arrived  home  from  the  prison.  He  cursed  his 
wife  and  beat  his  son,  and  frequently  tried  to 
make  away  with  himself,  though  luckily  his  serv- 
ants always  managed  to  prevent  him  from  suc- 
ceeding. At  night  he  dreamt  that  a  noble-look- 
ing personage  appeared  to  him  and  said,  "My 
name  is  Shih  Ch'ing-hsii ― (Stone  from  Hea- 
ven) . Do  not  grieve.  I  purposely  quitted  you 
for  a  year  and  more  ；  but  next  year  on  the  20th  of 
the  eighth  moon,  at  dawn,  come  to  the  Hai-tai 
Gate  and  buy  me  back  for  two  strings  of  cash." 
Hsing  was  overjoyed  at  this  dream,  and  care- 
fully took  down  the  day  mentioned.  Meanwhile 
the  stone  was  at  the  official's  private  house  ；  but 
as  the  cloud  manifestations  ceased,  the  stone  was 
less  and  less  prized  ；  and  the  following  year  when 


30     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


the  official  was  disgraced  for  maladministration 
and  subsequently  died,  Using  met  some  of  his 
servants  at  the  Hai-tai  Gate  going  off  to  sell  the 
stone,  and  purchased  it  back  from  them  for  two 
strings  of  cash. 

Using  lived  till  he  was  eighty-nine  ；  and  then 
having  prepared  the  necessaries  for  his  inter- 
ment, bade  his  son  bury  the  stone  with  him, 
which  was  accordingly  done.  Six  months  later 
robbers  broke  into  the  vault  and  made  off  with 
the  stone,  and  his  son  tried  in  vain  to  secure  their 
capture  ；  however,  a  few  days  afterwards,  he  was 
travelling  with  his  servants,  when  suddenly  two 
men  rushed  forth  dripping  with  perspiration, 
and  looking  up  into  the  air,  acknowledged  their 
crime,  saying,  "Mr.  Hsing,  please  don't  torment 
us  thus  ！  We  took  the  stone  and  sold  it  for  only 
four  ounces  of  silver."  Hsing's  son  and  his  serv- 
ants then  seized  these  men,  and  took  them  before 
the  magistrate,  where  they  at  once  acknowledged 
their  guilt.  Asking  what  had  become  of  the 
stone,  they  said  they  had  sold  it  to  a  member  of 
the  magistrate's  family  ；  and  when  it  was  pro- 
duced, that  official  took  such  a  fancy  to  it  that  he 
gave  it  to  one  of  .his  servants  and  bade  him  place 
it  in  the  treasury.  Thereupon  the  stone  slipped 
out  of  the  servant's  hand  and  broke  into  a  hun- 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  31 


dred  pieces,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  all  pres- 
ent. The  magistrate  now  had  the  thieves  bam- 
booed  and  sent  them  away;  but  Hsing's  son 
picked  up  the  broken  pieces  of  the  stone,  and 
buried  them  in  his  father's  grave. 

THE  THUNDER  GOD 
Told  by 
KEY  FAH 

Yo  Yiin-Hao  and  Hsia  P'ing-tzu  lived  as  boys 
in  the  same  village,  and  when  they  grew  up  read 
with  the  same  tutor,  becoming  the  firmest  of 
friends.  Hsia  was  a  clever  fellow,  and  had  ac- 
quired some  reputation  even  at  the  early  age  of 
ten.  Yo  was  not  a  bit  envious,  but  rather  looked 
up  to  him,  and  Hsia  in  return  helped  his  friend 
very  much  with  his  studies,  so  that  he,  too,  made 
considerable  progress.  This  increased  Hsia's 
fame,  though  try  as  he  would  he  could  never  suc- 
ceed at  the  public  examinations,  and  by-and-by 
he  sickened  and  died.  His  family  was  so  poor 
they  could  not  find  money  for  his  burial,  where- 
upon Yo  came  forward  and  paid  all  expenses, 
besides  taking  care  of  his  widow  and  children. 

Every  peck  or  bushel  he  would  share  with 
them,  the  widow  trusting  entirely  to  his  support  ； 


32     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


and  thus  he  acquired  a  good  name  in  the  village, 
though  not  being  a  rich  man  himself,  he  soon  ran 
through  all  his  own  property.  "Alas!"  cried  he, 
"where  talents  like  Hsia's  failed,  can  I  expect  to 
succeed?  Wealth  and  rank  are  matters  of  des- 
tiny, and  my  present  career  will  only  end  by  my 
dying  like  a  dog  in  a  ditch.  I  must  try  some- 
thing else."  So  he  gave  up  book-learning  and 
went  into  trade,  and  in  six  months  he  had  a  trifle 
of  money  in  hand. 

One  day  when  he  was  resting  at  an  inn  in  Nan- 
king, he  saw  a  great  big  fellow  walk  in  and  seat 
himself  at  no  great  distance  in  a  very  melancholy 
mood.  Yo  asked  him  if  he  was  hungry,  and  on 
receiving  no  answer,  pushed  some  food  over  to- 
wards him.  The  stranger  immediately  set  to 
feeding  himself  by  handfuls,  and  in  no  time  the 
whole  had  disappeared.  Yo  ordered  another 
supply,  but  that  was  quickly  disposed  of  in  like 
manner  ；  and  then  he  told  the  landlord  to  bring 
a  shoulder  of  pork  and  a  quantity  of  boiled 
dumplings.  Thus,  after  eating  enough  for  half 
a  dozen,  his  appetite  was  appeased  and  he  turned 
to  thank  his  benefactor,  saying,  "For  three  years 
I  haven't  had  such  a  meal."  "And  why  should 
a  fine  fellow  like  you  be  in  such  a  state  of  desti- 
tution?" inquired  Yo;  to  which  the  other  only 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  33 


replied,  "The  judgments  of  heaven  may  not  be 
discussed."  Being  asked  where  he  lived,  the 
stranger  replied,  "On  land  I  have  no  home,  on 
the  water  no  boat  ；  at  dawn  in  the  village,  at  night 
in  the  city."  Yo  then  prepared  to  depart  ；  but 
his  friend  would  not  leave  him,  declaring  that  he 
was  in  imminent  danger,  and  that  he  could  not 
forget  the  late  kindness  Yo  had  shown  him.  So 
they  went  along  together,  and  on  the  way  Yo  in- 
vited the  other  to  eat  with  him;  but  this  he  re- 
fused, saying  that  he  only  took  food  occasionally. 
Yo  marvelled  more  than  ever  at  this  ；  and  next 
day  when  they  were  on  the  river  a  great  storm 
arose  and  capsized  all  their  boats,  Yo  himself  be- 
ing thrown  into  the  water  with  the  others.  Sud- 
denly the  gale  abated  and  the  stranger  bore  Yo 
on  his  back  to  another  boat,  plunging  at  once  into 
the  water  and  bringing  back  the  lost  vessel,  upon 
which  he  placed  Yo  and  bade  him  remain  quietly 
there.  He  then  returned  once  more,  this  time 
carrying  in  his  arms  a  part  of  the  cargo,  which 
he  replaced  in  the  vessel,  and  so  he  went  on  until 
it  was  all  restored.  Yo  thanked  him,  saying,  "It 
was  enough  to  save  my  life  ；  but  you  have  added 
to  this  the  restoration  of  my  goods."  Nothing, 
in  fact,  had  been  lost,  and  now  Yo  began  to  re- 
gard the  stranger  as  something  more  than 


34     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


human.  The  latter  here  wished  to  take  his  leave, 
but  Yo  pressed  him  so  much  to  stay  that  at  last 
he  consented  to  remain.  Then  Yo  remarked 
that  after  all  he  had  lost  a  gold  pin,  and  immedi- 
ately the  stranger  plunged  into  the  water  again, 
rising  at  length  to  the  surface  with  the  missing 
article  in  his  mouth,  and  presenting  it  to  Yo  with 
the  remark  that  he  was  delighted  to  be  able  to 
fulfill  his  commands.  The  people  on  the  river 
were  all  much  astonished  at  what  they  saw; 
meanwhile  Yo  went  home  with  his  friend,  and 
there  they  lived  together,  the  big  man  only  eat- 
ing once  in  ten  or  twelve  days,  but  then  display- 
ing an  enormous  appetite.  One  day  he  spoke  of 
going  away,  to  which  Yo  would  by  no  means 
consent  ；  and  as  it  was  just  then  about  to  rain  and 
thunder,  he  asked  him  to  tell  him  what  the  clouds 
were  like,  and  what  thunder  was,  also  how  he 
could  get  up  to  the  sky  and  have  a  look,  so  as  to 
set  his  mind  at  rest  on  the  subject.  "Would  you 
like  to  have  a  ramble  among  the  clouds?"  asked 
the  stranger,  as  Yo  was  lying  down  to  take  a 
nap  ；  on  awaking  from  which  he  felt  himself  spin- 
ning along  through  the  air,  and  not  at  all  as  if  he 
were  lying  on  a  bed.  Opening  his  eyes  he  saw  he 
was  among  the  clouds,  and  around  him  was  a 
fleecy  atmosphere.    Jumping  up  in  great  alarm, 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  35 


he  felt  giddy  as  if  he  had  been  at  sea,  and  under- 
neath his  feet  he  found  a  soft,  yielding  substance 
unlike  the  earth.  Above  him  were  the  stars,  and 
this  made  him  think  he  was  dreaming;  but  look- 
ing up  he  saw  that  they  were  set  in  the  sky  like 
seeds  in  the  cup  of  a  lily,  varying  from  the  size  of 
the  biggest  bowl  to  that  of  a  small  basin.  On 
raising  his  hand  he  discovered  that  the  large  stars 
were  all  tightly  fixed;  but  he  managed  to  pick  a 
small  one,  which  he  concealed  in  his  sleeve  ；  and 
then  parting  the  clouds  beneath  him,  he  looked 
through  and  saw  the  sea  glittering  like  silver  be- 
low. Large  cities  appeared  no  bigger  than 
beans ― just  at  this  moment,  however,  he  be- 
thought himself  that  if  his  foot  were  to  slip,  what 
a  tremendous  fall  he  would  have.  He  now  be- 
held two  dragons  writhing  their  way  along,  and 
drawing  a  cart  with  a  huge  vat  in  it,  each  move- 
ment of  their  tails  sounding  like  the  crack  of  a 
bullock-driver's  whip.  The  vat  was  full  of  water 
and  numbers  of  men  were  employed  in  ladling  it 
out  and  sprinkling  it  on  the  clouds.  These  men 
were  astonished  at  seeing  Yo;  however,  a  big 
fellow  among  them  called  out,  "All  right,  he's 
my  friend,"  and  then  they  gave  him  a  ladle  to 
help  them  throw  the  water  out.  Now  it  hap- 
pened to  be  a  very  dry  season,  and  when  Yo  got 


36     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


hold  of  the  ladle  he  took  good  care  to  throw  the 
water  so  that  it  should  all  fall  on  and  around  his 
own  home.  The  stranger  then  told  him  that  he 
was  an  assistant  to  the  God  of  Thunder,  and  that 
he  had  just  returned  from  a  three  years'  punish- 
ment inflicted  on  him  in  consequence  of  some 
neglect  of  his  in  the  matter  of  rain.  He  added 
that  they  must  now  part  ；  and  taking  the  long 
rope  which  had  been  used  as  reins  for  the  cart, 
bade  Yo  grip  it  tightly,  that  he  might  be  let 
down  to  earth.  Yo  was  afraid  of  this,  but  on 
being  told  there  was  no  danger  he  did  so,  and  in 
a  moment  whish-h-Ii-h-h ― away  he  went  and 
found  himself  safe  and  sound  on  terra  fir  ma. 
He  discovered  that  he  had  descended  outside  his 
native  village,  and  then  the  rope  was  drawn  up 
into  the  clouds  and  he  saw  it  no  more.  The 
drought  had  been  excessive;  for  three  or  four 
miles  round  very  little  rain  had  fallen,  though  in 
Yo's  own  village  the  water-courses  were  all  full. 
On  reaching  home  he  took  the  star  out  of  his 
sleeve,  and  put  it  on  the  table.  It  was  dull- 
looking  like  an  ordinary  stone  ；  but  at  night  it  be- 
came very  brilliant  and  lighted  up  the  whole 
house.  This  made  him  value  it  highly,  and  he 
stored  it  carefully  away,  bringing  it  out  only 
when  he  had  guests,  to  light  them  at  their  wine. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  37 


It  was  always  thus  dazzling  bright,  until  one 
evening  when  his  wife  was  sitting  with  him  doing 
her  hair,  the  star  began  to  diminish  in  brilliancy, 
and  to  flit  about  like  a  fire-fly.  Mrs.  Yo  sat 
gaping  with  astonishment,  when  all  of  a  sudden 
it  flitted  into  her  mouth  and  ran  down  her  throat. 
She  tried  to  cough  it  up,  but  couldn't,  to  the  very 
great  amazement  of  her  husband.  That  night 
Yo  dreamt  that  his  old  friend  Hsia  appeared  be- 
fore him  and  said,  "I  am  the  Shao-wei  star. 
Your  friendship  is  still  cherished  by  me,  and  now 
you  have  brought  me  back  from  the  sky.  Truly 
our  destinies  are  knitted  together  and  I  will  re- 
pay your  kindness  by  becoming  your  son." 
Now  Yo  was  thirty  years  of  age,  but  without 
sons  ；  however,  after  this  dream  his  wife  bore  him 
a  male  child,  and  they  called  his  name  Star.  He 
was  extraordinarily  clever,  and  at  sixteen  years 
of  age  took  his  master's  degree. 


YANG  SUNG'S  DREAM 

It  had  been  a  merry  evening  on  Yang  Sung*s 
boat.  A  little  disagreement  in  the  early  even- 
ing had  been  settled  by  Yang  Sung's  good  hu- 
mor, the  locator  going  on  shore  to  secure  a  sup- 
ply of  wine,  which  having  cost  him  nothing,  he 


38     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


the  more  freely  distributed.  The  lieutenant  was 
on  shore,  as  also  the  semi-officials  of  the  other 
boats,  who  had  found  the  days  of  Tsaitien  long 
and  the  nights  insipid.  So  the  rest  had  a  merry 
time.  Yang  Sung,  though  not  an  abstainer,  was 
rallied  on  his  meager  abilities  at  imbibing.  In 
polite  circles  there  is  quite  a  gamut  of  compli- 
ments in  use  on  the  subject  of  a  man's  ability  to 
drink  wine,  and  a  corresponding  gamut  of  hum- 
ble disclaimers.  Xo  such  compliments  fell  to  the 
lot  of  the  sturdy  lad  of  eighteen  and  a  half,  but 
he  could  tell  a  tale  or  two  by  this  time. 

It  was  the  fourth  watch  before  there  was  any- 
thing like  quiet,  and  then  the  shouts  were  but  ex- 
changed for  thunderous  snores.  Yang  Sung,  be- 
ing still  sober,  was  to  watch  for  the  remainder  of 
the  night.  The  custom  was  for  two  men  to  di- 
vide the  night  watch  between  them.  His  boat 
being  the  chief  one  in  the  little  fleet,  it  fell  to  his 
lot  when  he  heard  the  drum  beats  from  the  cen- 
tral station  to  take  up  the  two  sticks,  and  pass 
the  sound  on  to  those  higher  up  the  river,  to  the 
night  watchman,  and  the  wakeful  public  gener- 
ally. Having  done  so,  he  felt  very  sleepy.  He 
must  lie  down.  Everything  was  still,  but  a  lamp 
here  and  there  flickering  in  the  high  wind,  and 
the  cry  of  "Blood,  blood"  (pig's  blood),  which 


CHINESE   NIGHTS   EXTERTAIXME^ TS  39 


sounded  well-nigh  demoniacal. ― what  customers 
do  these  night  hawkers  get  ？ ― proclaimed  that 
there  was  a  busy  town  near,  with  its  more  than 
half  a  million  inhabitants.  The  lantern  on  the 
bows  all  but  blotted  out  the  outline  of  the  houses. 
He  would  read  until  daylight.  The  volume 
he  picked  was  of  the  "Making  of  the 
Gods/'"  which  he  used  to  read  to  the  lieu- 
tenant. The  Taoist's  description  of  heaven 
was  now  familiar,  and  the  various  poems  and 
descriptive  pieces  he  was  learning  by  heart.  The 
piece  for  tonight  was  the  description  of  a  fire,  in 
which  a  sprite  was  exposed  and  consumed.  It 
seemed  too  fine  for  the  occasion.,  but  poets  are 
wont  to  deal  in  hyperbole.  "Dense  smoke  en- 
caged, dense  smoke  encaged  the  corner-stones 
of  earth."  he  repeated  to  himself  several  times, 
until  he  was  interrupted  by  a  shout,  then  another. 
Something  was  happening  on  shore.  He  tried 
to  arouse  the  sleepers.  They  but  swore,  and 
turned  over,  snoring  again.  But  the  shouts  in- 
creased. Then  a  light  appeared  far  away  to  the 
right  hand.  It  seemed  to  spread  toward  the 
centre.  A  man  ran  along  the  bank,  crying,  "De- 
mons!" He  was  a  night  watchman,  only  proof 
against  distant  thieves. 

"Stand!"  shouted  Yang  Sung.    "What  is  it?" 


40     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 

"Demons  with  torches.  Hundreds  of  them!" 
cried  the  man,  and  ran  on. 

The  glare  became  unmistakable  ；  more  fugi- 
tives with  the  same  tale  ；  more  efforts  on  the  lad's 
part  to  waken  the  sleepers,  until,  the  shouts  on 
shore  increasing,  he  took  up  his  drumstick  and 
belaboured  the  hands  of  one  or  two.  He  was 
cursed,  he  was  seized.  Everyone  seemed  to 
strike  out  at  once.  "Demons!"  he  shouted  amid 
his  struggles  ；  then  he  changed  to  "The  Pirates 
are  upon  us." 

At  this  familiar  cry  some  began  to  rouse  them- 
selves and  yawn.  They  let  him  go.  He  seized 
a  petard  or  two,  and  fired  it  outside.  General 
cry  of  muffled  voices.  "What  is  it?"  More 
shouts  on  shore,  and  the  glare,  which  had  now 
reached  the  spot  opposite  to  him  ；  no,  it  extended 
farther  to  the  west,  "Demons!  Pirates ！  Fire!" 
was  shouted,  was  screamed,  was  yelled  on  shore. 
"They  are  near.  They  have  taken  Wu  Seng 
Miao.    I  heard  their  guns.  Run!" 

It  was  not  glare  now,  it  was  flame.  Huge 
tongues  of  flame  shot  up  above  the  houses,  light- 
ing up  the  figures  of  men  and  women  bold  enough 
to  go  up  for  a  moment  on  to  the  wooden  lofts 
above  the  roofs.  The  upper  story  of  Wu  Seng 
Miao  gateway,  where  only  an  old  Vegetarian's 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  41 


tiny  lamp  is  to  be  seen  as  a  rule,  was  full  of 
fire-lit  faces.  Luminous  smoke  rolled  overhead, 
carried  by  the  high  wind  afar.  It  rained  sparks. 
The  heat  was  unbearable.  The  summer's  night 
was  becoming  hot  as  an  oven. 

A  splash ！  It  was  a  man  leaping  on  to  a  boat: 
no,  ten  men  had  made  the  leap,  one  had  fallen. 
His  body  was  whirled  on  by  the  rapid  current. 
His  cries  were  unheard  in  the  general  roar. 
Down  the  steep  bank  came  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, bearers  of  boxes  and  bundles  and  babies  ； 
they  fell  in  a  heap  on  the  boats  or  into  the  water. 
The  bows  were  nearly  sinking.  "Quick,  unloose 
the  chains!  Let  the  grappling  irons  go.  Clear 
the  way,  all  of  you,"  and  a  dozen  were  pushed 
into  the  water,  to  cling  upon  the  boat-sides  until 
they  dropped,  carried  down  with  the  rest. 
The  river  was  thick  with  bodies.  "Bring  a 
hatchet."  The  chain  will  not  be  undone.  Hew 
away  at  the  block  which  holds  it.  Harder  ！  Fas- 
ter! See  that  great  mass  of  humanity  tumbling 
down  the  bank.  Only  just  in  time.  They  would 
have  swamped  us.  It  is  light  as  day.  To  the 
oars,  every  one  of  you;  shake  off  the  clinging 
hands.  Off  ！  Across  the  river.  Push  this  boat 
and  that  with  your  hooks,  never  mind  the  men 
who  cling  there.    Curse  and  rave,  but  push ― 


42     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


row!  The  river  is  half -blocked.  See  a  boat  has 
overturned  ！  Look  at  that  mass  of  boats  above  ！ 
The  river  is  narrowed  here.  There  will  be  a  fa- 
tal block  in  a  moment.  Row  for  your  lives  ！ 
Blocked  it  is,  but  we  are  in  the  front.  Look 
out!  That  great  salt  junk  is  overturning.  Out 
of  the  way  of  the  mast.  Our  comrades'  boat  is 
snapped  in  two.  There  are  demons  in  the  cur- 
rent. The  oars  bend,  they  break.  Use  your 
poles  and  broken  oars.  We  must  get  across. 
Hands  off.  We  must  live.  Splash,  splash  ！ 
Shrieks!  Curses ！  But  we  have  reached  the 
other  side.  "Save  life,  save  life!"  Who  can 
save  a  hundred  ？  The  cries  are  lost  in  the  roar 
of  the  fire,  the  crackling  of  slates,  and  the  terri- 
fic yells  of  ten  thousand  in  death  agonies.  The 
kingdom  of  hell  has  come.  It  is  pandemonium 
on  earth. 

To  stay  there  on  the  boat  is  to  be  scorched. 
There  is  no  commander  to  give  orders,  so  it  is 
every  man  for  himself.  Struggle  for  dear  life. 
See  the  boats  have  caught.  Clamber  up  the 
banks  as  the  others  do.  They  fall,  dragged  down 
by  clinging  hands.  Over  the  shifting  mass. 
Up  again.  The  water  has  but  cooled  you. 
There  is  a  blank  space.    Press  in.    Just  in  time. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  43 


On  dry  land  with  a  chance  for  life  if  you  out- 
run the  thick  rain  of  sparks. 

The  path  led  from  a  small  temple  to  the  god 
of  boatmen, ― already  on  fire, ― to ―  the  "Ancient 
Bell  Tower,"  on  the  "Moon  Lake  Causeway." 
It  was  well  for  Yang  Sung  that  he  had  a  bit  of 
tolerably  clear  road,  for  the  latter  path  was  one 
mass  of  fugitives,  unable  to  proceed  by  reason  of 
a  block  by  the  bell-tower  archway.  In  a  densely 
crowded  road,  an  archway  narrowing  it  by  one- 
half  may  stop  all  progress.  The  crowd  forms 
one  compact  mass  too  wide  for  the  gateway. 

Happily,  the  youth  was  on  the  outside,  and 
could  go  round,  wading  through  a  swamp  on  the 
left.  On  the  right,  many  were  drowned  in  the 
lake.  But  he  must  join  the  main  path  farther 
on,  as  part  of  the  lake  waters  come  through  a 
bridge,  and  it  is  too  deep  to  wade  there.  But 
there  was  another  dense  crowd  by  the  bridge, 
those  on  the  outside  being  jammed  against  the 
granite  posts  and  the  connecting  poles.  Among 
them  was  a  man  dressed  in  silks  whose  head  was 
bleeding.  His  voice  was  heard  above  the  gen- 
eral din,  shouting,  "A  thousand  cash  for  a  boat!" 
Then  "Two  thousand,"  then,  finally,  "An  ingot 
of  silver."  But  the  boats  had  gone.    The  pole 


44     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


gave  way,  and,  with  many  others,  he  fell  into 
the  water. 

Under  one  of  the  buttresses  was  a  man  with  a 
boathook,  with  which  he  caught  hold  of  the  gar- 
ments of  the  wealthy  man,  who,  grasping  his  bun- 
dle, laid  hold  of  the  outstretched  pole.  The 
holder  thereof  seized  the  bundle,  then  calmly 
shook  off  the  man,  nay,  pushed  him  under  with 
the  hook,  and  held  him  there.  Was  it  a  dream? 
The  man's  face  seemed  familiar.  It  looked  like 
that  of  Lieu  ！  Yang  Sung  now  for  the  first  time 
discovered  that  he  had  his  musket  with  him.  He 
had  snatched  it  up  mechanically  as  he  sprang 
from  the  boat.  He  had  loaded  it  at  the  first 
alarm.  An  irresistible  impulse  made  him  point  it 
at  the  dark  form  under  the  bridge,  but  it  was  wet. 
Some  folks  from  the  archway  came  crowding  up. 
It  was  hopeless  for  him  to  try  and  ascend  where 
so  many  were  being  pushed  over.  One  thing  re- 
mained, he  could  wade  round  the  bit  of  lake  on 
the  left.  But,  reaching  drier  ground,  he  stum- 
bled, and  swooned  away. 

A  spark  upon  his  cheek  proved  a  speedy  restor- 
ative, and  he  Came  to  consciousness,  to  notice  that 
Tortoise  Hill  was  not  far  off.  Limping  along 
dry  land,  wading  through  swamp,  he  reached  the 
foot  of  the  Hill,  with  just  enough  energy  left  to 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  45 


clamber  half-way  up  the  rocky  sides.  Here  he 
found  two  masses  of  rock  which  almost  met  at 
the  top.  Into  this  cavern-like  recess  he  crawled, 
held  his  musket  mechanically,  and  sat  down. 
His  head  was  bleeding,  and  he  was  very  faint. 
The  horrid  glare  before  him  seemed  part  of  a 
hideous  nightmare.  But  he  was  out  of  range  of 
the  sparks. 

Before  long,  however,  the  ground  seemed  to 
shake.  The  rebels  had  taken  the  hill  from  the 
other  side,  had  fired  a  volley  which  he  felt  rather 
than  heard,  and  had  struck  his  musket  from  his 
hand.  Such  was  the  dream  which  passed 
through  his  bewildered  mind  in  an  instant  of 
time.  His  last  moment  had  come!  He  had  es- 
caped the  flames  but  to  perish  by  a  sword-thrust. 
His  whole  life  mshed  before  him.  Lieu  and  his 
son,  the  teacher  and  his  wife,  their  marriage,  his 
father  and  mother.  He  began  to  cry,  "My 
mother!  my  mother!"  But  the  dark  mass  before 
him  had  gone.  It  was  not  a  band  of  Pirates. 
It  was  a  large  boulder  loosened  by  the  pressure 
of  the  crowd  on  the  hill-top,  which  had  come  roll- 
ing down,  falling  full  force  upon  the  two  pieces 
of  rock  under  which  he  had  been  sitting.  Poised 
there  an  instant,  it  had  fallen  upon  his  gun-barrel, 
and,  crushing  that,  had  gone  crashing  down  to- 


46     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 

ward  the  swamp  far  beneath.  He  realized  what 
had  happened  now. 

It  was  unlikely  that  another  such  boulder 
would  follow  suit,  but  the  lad's  nerves  were  sha- 
ken, and  picking  up  his  shattered  musket  with 
soldierly  instinct,  he  clambered  up  higher.  He 
could  not  be  dreaming  now.  There  were  un- 
doubted sounds  of  firing.  If  his  ears  deceived 
him,  his  eyes  did  not.  There  was  a  general  stam- 
pede along  the  ridge  of  the  hill.  Getting  nearer, 
he  heard  the  cry,  "Pirates ！  Pirates!" 

The  fugitives  did  not  seem  to  be  pursued, 
though  the  firing  continued.  He  was  unable  to 
run,  and  seemed  not  to  care  now  whether  he  died 
or  not.  He  would  scramble  up  to  the  top  and 
see  what  had  happened.  He  had  to  rest  very 
frequently,  and  each  time  he  sank  to  the  ground 
there  was  that  sight  before  him.  It  was  as  real 
when  he  tried  to  shut  his  eyes  and  turn  away,  as 
when  he  looked  in  that  direction.  Four  miles  of 
towering  flame!  The  wooden— framed  dwellings 
of  six  hundred  thousand,  among  them  those 
whom  he  had  seen  bustling  along  the  crowded 
street  under  the  gay  sign-boards  ！  That  shar- 
per, where  was  he?  Where  was  the  Taoist  ped- 
lar,一 not  his  Taoist,  whom  he  saw  shot  through 
the  back  when  the  imperialist  came,  but  that 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  47 


other  Taoist?  Well,  it  could  not  be  helped. 
But  those  busy  shops  with  their  shopmen  and 
customers?  It  could  not  be.  He  was  in  the 
street  again.  No,  he  was  alone  near  the  hill-top 
on  that  awfully  sultry  night.  "Dense  smoke  en- 
caged, encaged  the  corner-stones  of  earth." 
Had  the  writer  of  the  lines  seen  a  city  on  fire? 
Four  miles  of  flame. 

But  he  must  struggle  onto  the  top.  When  he 
had  done  so,  he  found  that  the  firing  was  from  the 
Hanyang  walls.  It  was  a  cannonade.  Yes, 
there  was  a  double  row  of  yellow  jackets  return- 
ing the  fire  from  behind  earthworks  below  that 
blazing  mass  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off.  What  was 
that  mass?  The  temple,  of  course.  Seven  tem- 
ples, he  remembered.  See,  a  shot  aimed  too  high 
has  hit  one  of  them,  and  carried  off  with  it  blaz- 
ing beams  and  a  firey  shower  of  ignited  stuff 
down  over  the  steep  sides  of  the  rock. 

The  scene  at  the  end  of  the  hill  seemed  to  be 
absorbed  in  the  wider  facts  of  that  terrible  night. 
There  is  a  point  beyond  which  the  already  dazed 
brain  ceases  to  receive  further  shock,  and  he  sat 
looking  on,  like  an  overtired  spectator  at  a  thea- 
tre.   He  seemed  to  be  going  off  into  a  stupor. 

Time  passed  unheeded.  It  might  have  been 
half  an  hour,  it  might  have  been  two  hours,  but 


48     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


he  realized  by  and  by  that  the  firing  had  ceased, 
and  that  there  was  a  form  before  him,  squatting 
down  upon  its  heels,  with  an  evil  smile  on  its  face. 

"Hallo!  you  mandarin  soldier,  are  you  dead 
like  the  rest?  Alive?  Well,  look  yonder.  A 
fine  sight,  is  it  not,  better  than  a  bonfire  of  paper 
houses?" 

Was  it  a  demon  or  a  man?  It  was  a  young 
man.  Its  voice  was  unmistakable.  It  was  Lieu 
Fah. 

He  raised  himself,  and  pointed  his  musket  at 
the  figure.  That  was  enough.  It  disappeared 
with  a  shriek.  It  crouched  behind  a  gravestone, 
then  ran,  then  crouched  behind  another,  then  ran 
again.  Until  half-way  down  the  hill  it  was 
stopped  by  a  man  who  raised  himself  from  the 
ground.  He  had  a  yellow  sleeveless  jacket  on, 
clearly  discernible  in  the  glare.  He  hurriedly 
took  it  off,  and  his  under  coat  too,  put  it  on  again, 
and  the  blue  jacket  with  sleeves  over  it.  The 
younger  of  the  two  pointed  with  the  finger  up  the 
hill-top.  Yang  Sung  pointed  his  musket  at 
them,  and  both  ran  off,  bearing  what  seemed  to 
be  heavy  burdens. 

He  was  alone  again.  The  glare  seemed  to  in- 
crease, for  the  furthur  horizon  could  not  be  de- 
fined.   The  temples  were  still  blazing,  and  on 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  49 


the  left  was  that  awful  glare.  Whence  came  the 
increasing  light?  Look,  over  Wuchang  yonder 
there  is  a  great  ball  of  fire  ！  What  new  wonder 
was  that?  Then  Yang  Sung  felt  himself  being 
roughly  shaken,  and  a  familiar  voice  shouting 
with  each  shake,  "Wake  up  ！  Wake  up  ！  Yang 
Sung.  You  have  slept  on  deck  all  night,  and  the 
rising  sun  pouring  its  glorious  rays  in  your  face, 
is  the  'new  wonder.'  "  Yang  Sung  opened  his 
eyes,  to  behold  Lieu  Fah,  calling  him  to  view  the 
beauty  of  the  dawn.  Was  it  the  reading  of 
"The  Making  of  the  Gods"  or  the  drinking  of  the 
wine  that  caused  Yang  Sung's  Dream? 

KUNG  PENG  TAH  AND  THE 
WOODCUTTER 

Told  by 
TUNG  CHOU  KION 

"A  tale  I  tell  of  wondrous  sympathy, 
For  those  alone  that  sympathetic  be." 

"In  the  old  days  described  in  the  Spring  and 
Autumn  Annals,  when  China  consisted  of  a  host 
of  rival  States  hard  to  amalgamate,  there  lived  a 
celebrated  Statesman  of  the  name  of  Kung  Peng 
Tah.  His  birthplace  was  the  capital  of  the  king- 
dom of  Ch'u,  which  is  now  the  present  Kingcliow 


50     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


(the  'island  of  thorn  bushes'  to  which  Ts'ao  Ts'ao 
sent  his  cynical  adviser  Ti'ao  Hen)  ，  to  the  west 
of  the  modern  Wuchang.  But  his  star  of  good 
fortune  led  him  into  an  official  post  in  the  king- 
dom of  T'sin,  which  occupied  what  is  now  the 
southern  half  of  Shensi,  and  the  north-west  of 
Honan. 

"The  King  of  Tsin，  wishing  to  send  an  em- 
bassy of  friendly  congratulation  to  the  King  of 
Ch'ii,  Kung  Peng  Tali  sought  and  obtained  the 
commission.  Having  reached  the  capital,  he  was 
granted  a  royal  interview,  and  was  entertained  in 
sumptuous  style.  He  naturally  wished  to  visit 
his  ancestral  graves,  and  call  upon  such  of  his  rel- 
atives and  friends  as  the  great  change-worker 
Time  had  spared  yet. 

"Public  business  being  ended,  he  took  his  leave 
of  his  royal  host,  pleading  that  he  was  suffering 
from  ill-health,  which  would  be  aggravated  by 
jolting  over  rough  roads;  and  so  provision  was 
made  for  him  to  return  by  water,  two  boats  being 
fitted  up  for  his  accommodation.  The  fact  was, 
he  wished  to  feast  his  eyes  once  more  upon  the 
familiar  landscapes  of  ten  or  twenty  years  back. 
All  the  officials  of  the  capital  accompanied  him 
to  the  river  bank,  so  the  parting  was  even  more 
honourable  than  the  reception  had  been. 


KUNG  PENG  TAH  AND  THE  WOODCUTTER 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  51 


"The  wind-filled  sails  advanced  amid  the  thou- 
sand tiers  of  blue-green  wavelets,  while  beyond 
the  sunlit  waters  were  the  distant  hills  of  piled- 
up  turquoise.  It  was  mid-autumn,  and  Kung 
Peng  Tall  enjoyed  the  varied  scenery  to  the  full. 

"Passing  Hanyang,  the  boats  left  the Yangtse  ； 
but  either  the  Han  had  another  channel  then,  or 
else  it  was  flood  time,  for  he  seems  to  enter  the 
chain  of  lakes  which  extend  from  Hanyang  to 
beyond  the  Hill  of  the  Nine  Recluses. 

Kung  Peng  Tah  had  not  gone  many  miles  be- 
fore a  fierce  wind  sprang  up,  and  the  rain  poured 
in  torrents,  so  that  the  boats  had  to  make  for  the 
nearest  bank,  which  happened  to  be  not  far  from 
the  'Horse  Saddle'  Hill. 

"After  sundown  the  storm  abated,  and  the 
full-orbed  moon  shone  forth,  all  the  brighter  for 
the  rain.  Peng  Tah  being  alone,  with  nothing 
to  occupy  his  thoughts,  ordered  his  boy  to  light 
the  incense  brazier  and  bring  out  his  harpsi- 
chord. The  sweet  instrument  (which  sounds 
like  a  piano  with  both  pedals  down )  being 
brought,  the  musician  adjusted  the  strings,  and 
commenced  a  plaintive  strain.  Before  he  had 
played  many  notes,  however,  one  of  the  strings 
snapped  with  a  loud  noise.  At  this  he  was  very 
much  startled  and  told  the  lad  to  go  outside  and 


52     CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


inquire  what  manner  of  place  it  was.  The  head 
boatman  replied  that  it  was  a  mere  uncultivated 
hill,  with  no  cottages  in  sight.  'A  mere  unculti- 
vated hill?'  the  musician  exclaimed.  'Had  it 
been  a  city  or  village  near  which  we  were  stop- 
ping, there  might  have  been  some  scholar  or 
other  listening  to  my  instrument,  and  thus  caus- 
ing the  string  to  break.  I  have  it!  There  is 
some  villain  or  other  near  who  owes  me  a  grudge, 
or  a  robber  bent  on  stealing  the  treasure  in  the 
boats.  If  he  is  not  among  the  trees  yonder,  he 
is  certainly  hiding  among  the  tall  reeds.' 

"The  boatman  went  to  look,  when  they  heard 
a  voice  exclaim,  'The  high  official  need  not 
disturb  himself  ；  I  do  not  belong  to  the  robber 
class.  I  am  a  woodcutter  caught  in  the  storm, 
and  so  took  refuge  here.  Then  hearing  the  clas- 
sical strains  of  the  harpsichord,  I  stopped  to 
listen.' 

" 'A  likely  tale,'  laughed  the  statesman,  'a 
hillside  woodcutter  a  musical  connoisseur  ；  and 
his  attendants  ordered  the  intruder  off.  But  he 
remained  expostulating,  saying,  'The  high  official 
is  wrong.  Has  he  not  heard  that  "in  a  village 
of  ten  houses  there  is  sure  to  be  found  loyalty 
and  truth?"  And  where  there  is  a  true  gentle- 
man, there  will  be  gentlemanly  visitors.    If  you, 


CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  53 


sir,  make  out  -that  on  a  wild  hill  there  are  none 
capable  of  appreciating  music,  it  may  be  argued 
that  there  will  be  no  guest  at  the  foot  of  such 
a  hill  playing  at  midnight.' 

"Surprised  to  hear  such  a  clever  reply,  Peng 
Tah  went  to  the  door,  and  said,  half  in  sarcasm, 
'As  the  gentleman  upon  the  bank  has  been  listen- 
ing thus  attentively,  perhaps  he  will  tell  me  what 
sort  of  a  tune  I  was  playing  ！' 

" 'If  I  had  not  understood  the  meaning  of  the 
music,  is  it  likely  that  I  should  remain  listening? 
The  poem  you  were  expressing  in  musical  notes 
was  that  in  which  Confucius  bemoans  the  early 
death  of  his  favorite  disciple  Yen  Hwui.  The 
words  are  these ― 

"Alas,  Yen  Hwui^  so  soon  to  die  ！ 
My  hair  with  grief  is  turned  to  gray. 
Thy  frugal  joys,  thy  humble  home," — 

at  which  point  the  string  snapped.  But  the 
fourth  line  I  remember  to  be ― 

"Shall  charm  the  ages  yet  to  come." ' 
" 'You,  sir,  are  no  ordinary  countryman  ！'  ex- 
claimed Peng  Tah.  'The  bank  is  too  distant  for 
conversation,  will  you  not  come  nearer  ？'  So  he 
ordered  the  boatmen  to  throw  out  a  plank  and 
assist  the  scholar  into  the  boat. 

The  attendants  did  so,  and  the  young  man 


54     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


came  on  board ― a  veritable  woodcutter,  clad  in 
straw  cape  and  rain  hat,  grasping  an  iron-shod 
coolie  pole  ；  a  hatchet  was  stuck  in  his  girdle,  and 
he  had  straw  sandals  on  his  feet  ！  What  did  the 
underlings  know  about  intelligent  conversation? 
They  saw  a  mere  woodcutter.  'Be  sure  and 
knock  your  head  on  the  ground  in  the  presence 
of  the  official,'  they  said.  'And  when  he  speaks 
to  you  be  careful  how  you  answer  him.  He  is 
a  high  statesman.' 

" 'Do  not  insult  me,'  was  the  reply.  'Wait 
till  I  have  adjusted  my  apparel  for  the  inter- 
view.' And  he  proceeded  to  divest  himself  of 
rain  hat,  to  display  a  blue  cloth  wrapped  round 
his  head  ；  then  his  grass  cape,  to  display  to  view 
a  cotton  jacket,  bound  round  with  a  white  girdle, 
with  drawers  to  -match.  Not  a  whit  flurried, 
he  placed  his  rain  hat  and  grass  cape,  his  spiked 
pole  and  hatchet,  outside  the  door,  took  off  his 
straw  sandals,  wrung  the  dirty  water  from  them, 
put  them  on  afresh,  and  entered. 

"The  statesman  was  sitting  upon  the  divan, 
amid  the  brilliant  glow  of  lamps  and  candles. 
Seeing  whom,  the  woodcutter  just  made  a  deep 
bow,  saying,  'I  pay  you  my  respects,  sir.' 

An  official  of  Peng  Tab's  standing  could 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  55 


hardly  be  expected  to  give  a  common  woodcutter 
a  polite  reception.  But  having  invited  him  on 
board,  he  could  hardly  drive  him  away.  He  just 
waved  his  hand  slightly,  saying,  'No  need  for 
ceremony,'  and  called  the  lad  to  bring  a  seat.  A 
long  bench  being  brought,  the  official  shouted  out, 
'Sit  down.'  The  woodcutter,  without  any  phrase 
of  abject  appreciation  of  the  honour,  took  his 
seat  with  the  utmost  composure.  At  this  Peng 
Tah  was  rather  put  out,  and  neither  asked  his 
name  nor  ordered  the  usual  tea. 

"They  sat  in  awkward  silence  for  a  long  time, 
till  the  official,  in  an  irritated  tone  of  voice,  ex- 
claimed, 'So  you  are  the  listener  on  the  bank?' 
to  which  the  woodcutter  replied  with  the  usual 
phrase,  'I  do  not  presume  ！' 

" 'Well,  as  you  were  listening,  you  doubtless 
know  the  origin  of  the  instrument,  who  invented 
the  harpsichord,  and  what  good  there  is  in  play- 
ing it?' 

" 'Receiving  your  question  with  all  due  defer- 
ence, I  may,  however,  delay  the  boat  with  my 
tedious  replies  ！'  For  the  boatman  had  just 
been  to  say  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  their 
starting. 

" 'I  fear  you  know  nothing  about  it,    If  you 


56     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


answer  rightly,  I  shall  look  upon  my  official  post 
as  a  thing  of  no  consequence,  much  less  will  a 
little  delay  matter.' 

" 'In  that  case,  I  may  venture  to  trouble  you 
with  my  inordinate  chatter.  The  harpsichord 
was  made  by  Fu  Shi  (the  first  of  the  fabulous 
Emperors  of  China,  2852-2737  B.C.).  He  saw 
that  the  virtue  of  the  five  planets  was  concen- 
trated in  the  tung  tree,  and  that  the  phoenix 
chose  it  for  a  resting-place.  The  phoenix  is  the 
king  of  birds,  only  eating  bamboo  sprouts,  only 
drinking  spring  water.  Fu  Shi,  therefore,  see- 
ing the  princely  nature  of  the  tung  tree,  gather- 
ing into  itself  as  it  does  the  choicest  essences  of 
creation,  argued  that  its  wood  might  be  expected 
to  emit  the  choicest  music.  He  therefore  or- 
dered a  man  to  cut  one  down.  This  particular 
tree  was  33  ft.  3  in.  high,  according  with  the 
number  of  the  thirty-three  heavens.  He  then 
had  its  trunk  cut  into  three  pieces,  correspond- 
ing to  the  three  powers  of  nature, ― heaven, 
earth,  man. 

" 'On  sounding  the  upper  block  it  was  found 
to  ring  with  too  high  a  note,  while  the  lower 
block  emitted  too  dull  a  sound.  That  of  the 
middle  block,  however,  was  found  to  be  a  happy 
medium  between  the  two.    It  was  placed  in  a 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  57 


running  stream  for  seventy-two  days,  according 
to  the  seventy-two  periods  of  the  year, ― an  an- 
cient mode  of  division,  each  period  being  five 
days;  then  being  dried  in  the  shade,  an  excep- 
tionally propitious  time  being  chosen,  and  the 
Emperor  employed  a  skilful  workman  to  make 
it  into  a  musical  instrument.' " 

At  this  stage  Tung  Chou  Kion  related  how 
that  a  celebrated  politician  and  man  of  letters 
named  Ts'ai  Yung  (133-192) ,  when  a  refugee 
in  the  State  of  Wu,  was  one  day  seated  at  the 
fireside  when  his  attention  was  attracted  by 
the  sound  emitted  by  a  log  of  tung  wood  which 
lay  burning  there.  Believing  that  its  tones  gave 
promise  of  rare  excellence,  he  converted  it  into 
a  lute.  As  the  handle  of  his  instrument  still  re- 
tained signs  of  scorching,  it  gave  rise  to  the  ex- 
pression, "the  scorching  tail  (lute) -" 

"In  recent  poetry,"  continued  Chou  Kion, 
"this  incident  is  combined  with  that  of  Kung 
Peng  Tah.    A  Hanyang  poet  sings ― 

'Now  would  I  follow  poesy  and  song. 
Renewed  in  readiness  the  silken  string. 
My  "heart's  interpreter"  at  length  has  come. 
The  "scorched  tail"  interprets  every  wish; 
The  SAviftly-flowing  stream  is  heard  once  more, 
Swells  to  the  clouds  the  highest  melody  ； 


58     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


As  whirlwinds  now  o'er  myriad  mountains  borne. 
Rises  the  melody  sublime.' 

"But  to  return  to  the  story  of  the  'heart's  in- 
terpreter referred  to.  The  woodcutter  pro- 
ceeded : 'When  completed,  the  harpsichord  was 
thirty-six  inches  and  a  tenth  long,  according  to 
the  three  hundred  and  sixty-one  days  in  a  (lu- 
nar) year.  At  the  broad  end  it  was  eight  inches 
across,  according  to  the  eight  festivals;  at  the 
narrow  end,  four  inches  across,  according  to  the 
four  seasons.  It  was  two  inches  thick,  accord- 
ing to  the  masculine  and  feminine  principles  of 
nature.  It  had  a  golden  youth's  head  and  a 
gemmous  maiden's  waist,  a  back  like  that  of  an 
immortal,  a  dragon  tank,  and  a  phoenix  bath. 
It  had  jade  pegs  and  golden  stops,  which  stops 
(let  into  the  wood  as  a  guide  to  the  fingering) 
are  thirteen,  according  to  the  twelve  months  of 
the  year,  plus  the  intercalary  month. 

" 'At  first  the  harpsichord  had  five  strings,  ac- 
cording to  the  five  elements,  their  sounds  being 
called  respectively  Kung,  Shang,  Kioh,  Tsz,  and 
Yu  (antediluvian  tonic  sol-fa!) .  In  the  time  of 
the  Emperors  Yao  and  Shuin  this  five-stringed 
instrument  was  used  to  accompany  the  populace 
renovating  odes  of  the  day.  A  thousand  years 
later,  the  literary  monarch  being  in  exile  from 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  59 


his  State,  and  lamenting  over  the  death  of  his 
son  Peh  Yih-kao,  added  another  string  of  pure 
and  pathetic  note,  since  called  the  literary  string. 
Another  son  of  his  (almost  a  contemporary  of 
King  David)  having  defeated  and  slain  the  ty- 
rant, and  gained  for  himself  the  title  of  Military 
Monarch,  added  a  seventh  string,  which  is  called 
after  him. 

" 'The  harpsichord  has  six  abhorrences  and 
seven  prohibitions.  It  abhors  intense  cold,  in- 
tense heat,  a  high  wind,  a  heavy  rain,  loud  thun- 
der, and  a  heavy  fall  of  snow.  It  must  not  be 
played  when  wailing  sounds  are  heard,  when 
festive  instruments  are  sounding,  when  the  musi- 
cian is  worried,  when  his  person  is  not  clean, 
when  his  clothing  is  awry,  without  incense  hav- 
ing first  been  lighted,  or  in  the  presence  of  an 
unsympathetic  listener.  Its  eight  excellencies 
in  sound  are  purity,  mystery,  obscurity,  choice- 
ness,  plaintiveness,  energy,  distance,  and  reson- 
ance. When  played  by  a  masterhand  in  the 
highest  style,  the  hawling  tiger  will  listen,  and 
cease  its  roar;  the  screaming  monkey  will  listen, 
and  cease  its  screeching.' 

"Hearing  the  woodcutter  discourse  with  such 
fluency  and  exactness,  Kung  Peng  Tah  imagined 
he  must  have  learned  it  all  by  rote,  but  even  then 


60     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


thought  him  a  man  not  to  be  despised.  Hence- 
forth adopting  politer  form  of  speech,  he  essayed 
to  test  him  a  little  farther.  'Confucius  was  once 
playing  the  harpsichord  in  the  house,'  he  said, 
'when  Yen  Hwui  entered.  As  he  listened  to  its 
deep  and  muffled  tones,  he  thought  he  detected 
strains  of  blood-thirstiness,  and  asked  in  surprise 
whether  it  was  so.  Confucius  answered,  "As  I 
was  playing,  I  saw  a  cat  chase  a  mouse,  and 
smiled  at  the  capture,  but  fearing  it  might  lose 
its  prey,  my  bloodthirstiness  ( ！)  betrayed  itself 
on  the  silken  strings."  'It  was  thus  that  the  sa- 
cred and  sensitive  nature  of  music  came  to  be 
fully  known.  Now,  suppose  I  play  my  instru- 
ment with  certain  thoughts  in  my  mind,  can  you 
recognize  those  thoughts  as  you  listen?' 

"Replied  the  woodcutter :  'In  the  Book  of 
Odes  it  is  WTitten ― 

"Another's  thoughts 
I  can  fathom." 

If  you,  sir,  will  extemporise  a  little,  I  will  try 
and  fathom  yx)ur  meaning.  Should  I  guess 
wrong,  pray  pardon  me.' 

"Kung  Peng  Tah  renewed  the  broken  string 
and  played  a  while,  with  mountain  scenery  in 
his  mind.    'Excellent  indeed!'    exclaimed  the 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  61 


other  ；  'yom'  far-reaching  thoughts  were  upon 
the  high  hills  ！'  At  which  the  musician  could 
hardly  believe  his  ears,  and  extemporized  once 
more,  with  the  rippling  of  hillside  brooks  in  his 
mind.  'Excellent  indeed!'  cried  the  woodcutter; 
'the  flowing  brooks  are  gurgling/ 

"With  the  surprise  that  such  thought  inter- 
pretation might  well  call  up,  Peng  Tab's 
brusqueness  gave  place  to  the  geniality  of  a  host, 
and  the  woodcutter  had  to  take  the  place  of  hon- 
our on  the  left.  With  fervent  apologies,  Peng 
Tall  exclaimed,  'Amid  the  rocks  the  princeless 
gem  is  hidden.  'And  he  who  judges  after  the 
outward  appearance  and  garb  cannot  fail  to 
slight  the  most  wisely  virtuous  everywhere.' 
Then,  in  the  politest  terms,  he  inquired  the  name 
of  his  guest.  The  reply,  given  in  all  humility 
was  that  his  surname  was  Chung  Tsz-ki,  where- 
upon Peng  Tall  introduced  himself. 

"Tea  was  brought,  then  'wine',  and  Peng  Tah 
inquired  after  Tsz-ki's  place  of  abode. 

" 'Not  far  from  here,'  was  the  reply.  'I  live 
beside  the  Horse  Saddle  Hill,  in  a  hamlet  called 
the  Gathering-place  of  the  Virtuous.'  'Truly  so 
called!'  exclaimed  his  host  with  inclined  head. 
'And  what  may  your  occupation  be?' 

" 'I  cut  wood  for  a  living.' 


62     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


" 'But  how  is  it  that  with  such  abilities  you 
do  not  seek  for  a  degree,  and  an  honourable 
official  position  instead  of  hiding  your  genius 
among  hillside  copses  and  streams,  in  the  com- 
pany of  herdsmen  and  woodcutters?  Why 
vegetate  and  wither  when  you  might  flourish  as 
a  scholar?' 

" 'Because  my  parents  are  both  stricken  in 
years,  and  have  no  one  else  to  provide  for  them. 
Had  I  the  highest  possible  position  offered  me, 
I  could  not  accept  it,  for  they  could  not  do  with- 
out me  for  a  single  day.' 

" 'Such  a  true  son  is  hard  to  find,'  exclaimed 
Peng  Tail,  whose  affection  for  the  young  man 
was  deepening.  He  asked  how  many  'spring- 
tides' he  had  passed?  Tsz-ki  replied  that  he  had 
'emptily  passed'  twenty-seven  years.  'Then  I 
am  your  senior  by  some  ten  odd  years' ― which 
was  probably  a  polite  understatement  of  fact. 
'And  if  you  will  consent  to  such  a  relationship, 
I  should  like  to  call  you  brother,  my  never-to-be- 
forgotten  thought-interpreter.' 

"The  meanly-clad  young  man  looked  at  his 
friend  in  silk  and  fox  furs,  exclaiming,  'Surely 
you  cannot  mean  it  ！  You  are  a  noted  statesman 
of  an  honourable  kingdom,  and  my  lot  is  cast 
among  the  rustics.    How  could  I  venture  to  as- 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  63 


pire  to  a  friendship  so  incongruous  and  unbe- 
coming?' 

"To  which  Peng  Tah  replied  that  'One's  ac- 
quaintances may  fill  the  earth,  but  heart  inter- 
preting friends  are  rare  indeed.  If  I  in  my  var- 
ious vicissitudes,'  he  added  tenderly,  'may  be 
linked  with  you  in  the  bonds  of  sworn  brother- 
hood, it  will  be  an  unspeakable  enrichment  to  my 
whole  life.'  Then  almost  pleadingly,  'If  you 
think  that  I  regard  such  things  as  riches  and  pov- 
erty as  barriers,  what  manner  of  man  do  you 
take  me  to  be?' 

"Incense  was  added  to  the  brazier,  and  thus  at 
midnight,  in  the  royally-furnished  boat-chamber, 
the  high  statesman  and  the  woodcutter  went 
through  the  eight  obeisances  which  would  make 
them  brothers  forever.  They  were  now  known 
to  each  other  by  name. 

"They  changed  seats,  the  elder  brother  taking 
the  place  of  honour,  and  carried  on  their  heart- 
to-heart  conversation  until  the  moon  had  declined 
and  the  stars  began  to  pale.  The  boatmen  hav- 
ing made  all  preparations  for  starting  ( some  of 
them  had  doubtless  been  peeping  through  the 
window  blinds  in  wonder) ,  Tsz-ki  rose  to  take 
his  leave. 

" 'My  good  brother,'  said  Kung  Peng  Tah, 


64     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


'you  and  I  have  met  too  late,  and,  alas,  must  part 
thus  early  ！  .At  which  Tsz-ki  could  not  refrain 
his  tears  ；  and  neither  of  them  could  bring  his 
mind  to  the  point  of  separation.  'My  feelings 
are  far  from  spent,'  said  the  elder  brother  ；  'could 
you  not  accompany  me  for  a  few  days?' 

" 'It  is  not  for  want  of  the  will  that  I  must 
decline,'  replied  the  other  ；  'but  how  can  I  leave 
my  aged  parents  ？  When  the  parents  are  alive, 
their  children  should  not  wander  afar.'  'As  they 
are  both  at  home,'  Peng  Tah  responded  (with 
the  rest  of  the  quotation  from  the  Analects  as  a 
basis  for  his  words )  ，  'could  you  not  tell  them  you 
would  like  to  go  to  Tsin  to  see  your  brother  by 
and  by?  Thus,  though  "wandering  afar,"  you 
would  acquaint  them  with  your  whereabouts.' 

" 'Not  to  grieve  you,'  Tsz-ki  answered,  'I  will 
not  promise,  and  then  break  my  word.  But  if 
I  mention  it  to  my  parents,  they  will  assuredly 
object  to  my  going  so  far.' 

" 'Let  it  be  as  you  say,  my  noble  brother. 
Then  I  will  certainly  come  again  next  year  and 
see  you.' 

" 'If  you  fix  a  date,  I  will  be  here  ready  to  re- 
ceive you.' 

" 'Last  night  it  was  the  mid-autumn  festival. 
I  shall  be  looking  out  for  my  brother  on  the  fif- 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  65 


teenth  or  sixteenth  day  of  the  mid-autumn  month 
next  year.  I  will  not  break  my  faith.'  'Then/ 
said  T«z-ki,  'I  will  be  here  on  the  river  bank  with- 
out fail.  It  is  now  daylight,  and  I  must  say 
farewell.' 

" 'You  must  really  go,  my  brother?'  said  Peng 
Tah,  and  he  ordered  the  lad  to  bring  two  ingots 
of  gold.  These  he  presented  to  his  brother  with 
both  hands,  saying,  'This  little  gift  will  help  to- 
wards the  necessities  of  your  parents.  As  you 
are  bone  of  my  bone  and  flesh  of  my  flesh,  you 
will  not  scorn  to  receive  it.' 

"Tsz-ki  could  not  refuse,  and  took  his  depart- 
ure; putting  on  his  rain  hat  and  grass  cape, 
shouldering  his  spiked  pole  and  sticking  his 
hatchet  in  his  girdle,  he  was  handed  along  the 
plank  to  the  shore.  The  boatmen  beat  the 
drums  and  started.  The  scenery  was  grand,  but 
Peng  Tah  had  no  heart  for  it  now.  All  his 
thoughts  were  with  his  heart's  interpreter. 

"Some  days  passed  thus,  and  when  he  went 
ashore,  and  being  recognized  as  a  high  official  of 
Tsin,  the  mandarins  of  the  port  provided  horses 
and  carriages,  accompanying  him  to  the  capital. 

"Time  flies  apace!  Autumn  merged  into  win- 
ter; the  spring  and  summer  passed,  but  not  for  a 
single  day  had  Peng  Tah  ceased  to  think  of  his 


66     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


brother.  As  the  autumn  was  approaching,  he 
petitioned  the  King  of  Tsin  to  allow  him  to  go 
home  a  while.  It  was  granted  ；  and  the  fifteenth 
of  the  eighth  moon  found  him  once  more  near  the 
Horse  Saddle  Hill.  The  boat  was  secured  by 
grappling  irons  and  a  wooden  stake  driven  into 
the  bank. 

"It  was  a  lovely  night  ；  the  moonbeams  came 
stealing  through  the  blinds.  Peng  Tali  went  out 
and  stood  on  the  deck.  There  was  hardly  a  rip- 
ple on  the  waters.  The  northern  constellation 
was  clearly  reflected  on  the  glassy  surface. 
Peng  Tall  opened  his  heart  to  the  sweet  serenity 
around,  and  the  memoTies  which  the  spot  awak- 
ened. 'But  my  brother  promised  to  be  here  on 
the  bank  waiting  for  me.  There  is  no  trace  of 
him.  Can  he  have  broken  his  word  ？  Naj^  it 
cannot  be.  There  are  several  boats  about,  and 
mine  is  not  the  same  as  I  had  last  year.  It  was 
while  playing  my  harpsichord  that  I  discovered 
him.  I  will  do  so  again,  and  he  will  hear  the 
music  and  come.' 

"So  the  sweet  instrument  was  brought  on  deck, 
and  that  same  brazier  emitted  clouds  of  perfume. 
The  musician  took  the  harpsichord  out  of  its  bag 
and  tuned  it,  when  one  of  the  strings  emitted  a 
dirge-like  note. 


CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  67 


" 'How  is  this?'  exclaimed  Peng  Tab.  'My 
brother  must  have  some  calamitj''  in  the  house, 
and  so  he  does  not  come.  He  told  me  both  his 
parents  were  aged.  One  or  other  must  be  dead. 
He  is  a  filial  son,  and  has  put  the  first  claims  first. 
He  would  rather  break  faith  with  me  than 
neglect  his  parents,  so  he  has  not  come.  I  will 
go  on  shore  tomorrow  and  find  him.' 

"The  instrument  was  brought  in  again,  and  he 
retired  for  the  night.  But  not  a  moment's  sleep 
could  he  get.  He  longed  and  looked  for  the 
morn.  At  length  the  moon  declined,  and  the 
dawn  was  about  to  break  over  the  hills.  He 
arose,  washed,  and  dressed  himself,  putting  on 
plain  garments,  and,  with  the  lad  bearing  his 
harpsichord  and  a  large  quantity  of  gold,  he 
went  ashore.  'If  my  brother  have  any  mourn- 
ing in  the  house,'  he  said,  'this  will  cover  the 
ceremonies  required  of  the  filial.' 

"He  walked  on  until  he  came  to  the  end  of 
the  valley,  where  he  stood  still.  The  road  di- 
vided to  the  east  and  the  west,  but  no  trace  of  the 
hamlet  he  sought.  He  sat  upon  a  wayside  rock 
for  a  while,  when  an  old  man  with  a  long, 
white,  silky  beard  came  along,  leaning  upon  his 
staff.    Peng  Tah  advanced  to  meet  him,  and 


68     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


asked  which  of  the  two  roads  led  to  the  desired 
village. 

" 'There  are  two  villages  of  that  name,  an 
upper  and  a  lower,'  the  old  man  replied  ；  'which 
one  was  it  you  wished  to  visit?' " 

" 'My  brother  is  a  clear-headed  man,'  thought 
Peng  Tah  ；  'why  did  he  speak  thus  ambiguously  ？ 
I  have  it!  He  did  not  mean  to  put  me  to  the 
trouble  of  seeking  him  out.' " 

" 'Your  silence,  sir,  indicates  that  the  person 
who  directed  you  did  not  seem  to  know  of  the 
existence  of  two  villages,  which  are  in  opposite 
directions  from  here.  I  have  lived  an  the  hill- 
side for  many  a  long  year,  and  know  everyone 
here  as  neighbours  or  relatives  or  else  as  friends. 
What  is  the  name  of  the  person  you  are  seek- 
ing?' 

" 'I  wish  to  find  out  the  house  of  the  Chung 
family.' 

" 'To  seek  for  whom?' 
" 'To  find  out  Tsz-ki.' 

"At  this  the  old  man's  eyes  filled  with  tears. 
He  sobbed  out.  'My  own  son!  Last  year  at 
this  time,  as  he  was  out  cutting  wood,  he  met  a 
statesman  of  Tsin,  named  Kung  Peng  Tah,  who 
became  attached  to  him,  presenting  him  with  two 
ingots  of  gold  as  he  went  away.    My  son  bought 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  69 


many  books  and  studied  hard,  so  as  to  be  worthy 
of  his  kindness.  Returning  with  his  heavy  fag- 
gots, he  would  read  on  into  the  night,  until  he 
fell  ill  and ― after ― some ― months ― he ― died!' 

With  a  loud  cry  Peng  Tali  fell  down  in  a 
swoon.  The  old  man  did  his  best,  with  the  lad's 
assistance,  to  restore  him  ；  and  asked  who  the 
traveller  was.  The  lad  whispered  in  his  ear, 
'The  statesman,  Kung  Peng  Tah  himself.' 

"As  consciousness  returned,  Peng  Tah  wailed 
bitterly,  'My  brother  ！  my  brother  ！  There  was  I 
on  the  boat  last  night  talking  of  broken  promises  ！ 
Little  did  I  think  that  you  were  gone  ！，  He  rose 
and  saluted  the  old  man,  asking  whether  his  son 
was  already  buried  or  not. 

" 'It  cannot  be  told  in  one  word,'  the  old  man 
replied.  'As  my  stm  was  dying,  and  we  were 
watching  at  his  bedside,  he  said,  "The  bounds 
of  my  life  have  been  fixed  by  Heaven.  I  cannot 
fulfill  my  earthly  relations.  But  I  beseech  you, 
bury  me  by  and  by  on  the  bank  near  the  place 
where  I  met  the  good  statesman,  so  that  I  may 
keep  my  promise  with  him."  Along  the  road 
you  came  there  is  a  new  grave  by  the  wayside. 
It  is  my  son's.    I  was  just  going  to  visit  it.' 

" 'I  will  accompany  you.' 


70     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


"They  preceeded  along  the  path,  the  aged 
father  and  the  elder  brother,  until  they  reached 
the  grave,  when  Peng  Tab's  sobs  broke  out 
afresh.  'My  brother,'  he  cried,  'thou  art  among 
the  higher  intelligences  now.  I  bid  thee  a  long 
farewell.'  Thus  he  wailed  until  the  country  folk 
assembled.  They  found  out  who  he  was,  and 
crowded  to  the  front  to  stare  at  the  man  in  his 
anguish. 

"The  sweet-toned  instrument  was  taken  out  of 
its  bag,  and  with  streaming  eyes  Peng  Tab 
played  a  dirge.  The  sightseers,  hearing  the 
music  by  the  grave  side,  went  off  clapping  their 
hands  in  merriment.  The  musician  asked  the 
reason,  when  he  was  through  bewailing  his 
brother.  To  which  the  old  man  replied  that  the 
rustics,  not  discerning  his  meaning,  took  the  notes 
to  be  festal  strains. 

" 'Can  that  be  so?  At  least  you  will  interpret 
my  heart's  meaning?' 

"'Alas!  I  am  stupid  and  dull.  I  played  the 
harpsichord  when  I  was  younger,  but  now  in  my 
old  age  my  five  senses  are  half  gone.' 

" 'I  have  been  extemporizing  a  heart-prompted 
dirge.    I  will  sing  it  once  for  you  to  hear.' 

"With  tremulous  voice  the  statesman  sang ~ 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  71 


'I  recall  the  fond  hopes  of  last  year, 

When  my  friend  on  the  bank  I  met  here; 

I  have  come  back  to  see  him  again, 

I  have  come  back  to  see  him  in  vain. 

But  a  heap  of  cold  earth  do  I  find, 

And  sore  is  my  sorrow-filled  mind  ； 

My  sore  heart  is  stricken  with  grief. 

My  tears  are  my  only  relief. 

I  came  here  in  joy ；  with  what  grief  do  I  go! 

The  banks  of  the  river  are  clouded  with  woe. 

Tsz-ki  ！  my  lost  Tsz-ki  ！ 

True  as  tried  gold  were  we. 

Beyond  the  heavenly  shore 

Thy  voice  I  hear  no  more. 

I  sing  thee  my  last  song,  my  last. 

The  harpsichord's  music  is  past/ 

"Then,  taking  a  small  knife  from  his  girdle,  he 
cut  the  silken  strings  in  twain,  and  lifting  the  in- 
strument with  both  hands,  as  if  in  sacrifice,  he 
put  forth  all  his  strength,  and  dashed  it  to  pieces 
upon  the  grave. 

"The  old  man  wonderingly  asked  the  reason 
for  this. 

" 'Tsz-ki  is  gone;  to  whom  should  I  play  now? 
Springtime  friends  abound,  but  to  find  a  heart's 
interpreter  is  a  difficulty  of  difficulties.' 


am  too  sad/  Peng  Tah  continued,  'to  ac- 


company you  home,  but  have  brought  with  me 


72     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


some  gold,  half  of  which  will  minister  to  your 
present  needs,  and  half  will  buy  a  little  land 
around,  so  that  ( from  the  crops  thereon)  the 
grave  may  be  ever  kept  in  repair.  If  you  will 
wait  till  I  return  to  my  adopted  country,  and  ask 
leave  to  retire  from  office,  I  will  come  and  fetch 
my  venerable  father  and  mother  to  the  old  home, 
there  to  be  cared  for  until  the  appointed  years  of 
Heaven  are  fulfilled.  I  was  one  with  Tsz-ki  and 
he  with  me.  Do  not  think  of  me  as  an  outsider' ； 
and  he  handed  the  gold  to  the  old  man,  who  re- 
ceived it  with  tearful  gratitude. 

"A  few  months  after,  each  had  gone  his  way." 

Among  Tung  Chou  Kion's  rustic  audience 
were  sympathetic  listeners,  and  more  than  one 
sleeve  was  applied  to  moist  eyes.  The  narrator 
himself  was  not  unmoved.  He  added,  with  emo- 
tion, "I  visited  the  grave  to  weep  there  a  while." 

Subdued  to  silence,  the  company  dispersed. 

"My  princely  husband,"  said  his  wife  after  a 
pause,  "I  am  'but  a  woman,'  yet  may  I  be 
reckoned  as  your  heart's  interpreter?  I  will  sym- 
pathise in  your  wrongs,  and  share  your  coming 
joys." 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  73 


THE  PAINTED  CAT 
Told  by 

LING  WANG 

"Have  you  heard  of  the  painted  cat  which 
caught  mice?  Well,  I  will  tell  you  the  tale." 
He  accordingly  related  the  following  between 
the  mouthfuls  of  the  suppei'  which  Kno  Tzu 
Chien  began  to  provide  as  an  institution.  "There 
was  once  a  fortune-teller  who  used  to  sit  near  the 
gate  of  a  large  yamun.  He  had  the  reputation 
of  being  a  man  of  great  ability  and  accuracy,  and 
the  high  mandarin  at  whose  door  lie  sat  believed 
in  him  thoroughly. 

"A  young  water  coolie  of  the  place  once  asked 
him  to  tell  his  fortune  well,  and  offered  him  eight 
hundred  cash  for  the  job.  He  had  forgotten  his 
eight  characters'  (year,  month,  day,  and  hour  of 
birth) ,  but  having  received  such  a  sum,  the  for- 
tune-teller agreed  to  find  eight  propitious  char- 
acters for  him.  From  these  he  prophesied  that 
there  was  a  princedom  in  store  for  him.  The 
coolie  took  the  paper,  but  soon  afterwards 
dropped  it. 

"The  mandarin  being  very  particular  about 
reverencing  written  paper,  had  his  bearers  pick 


74     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 

up  a  piece  lying  on  the  street  before  them,  read 
it,  and  found  that  there  was  a  high  destiny  a- 
waiting  the  young  coolie.  He  had  him  called 
in,  set  him  to  study,  and  eventually  gave  him  his 
daughter  in  marriage. 

"The  fortunate  young  man,  however,  was  in 
the  habit  of  exclaiming,  'Worth  eight  hundred 
cash ！  Well  worth  eight  hundred  cash!'  the 
meaning  of  which  he  could  not  divulge  to  his 
wife.  One  day,  however,  the  exclamation  hav- 
ing been  made  in  the  mandarin's  presence,  he 
had  to  confess  that  it  referred  to  the  somewhat 
manipulated  document  the  fortune-teller  gave 
him.  At  this  the  enraged  mandarin  tried  to 
make  his  daughter  give  up  her  husband.  She  re- 
fused, and  he  put  them  into  a  rudderless  boat  on 
the  sea.  The  boat  drifted  on  until  it  stranded 
at  length  on  a  rocky  island  which  was  strewn 
with  remarkable  stones. 

"These  they  gathered  till  the  boat  could  hold 
no  more,  then  set  sail  again,  reaching  a  certain 
land  where  was  a  large  city.  The  faithful  wife 
left  her  husband  in  charge  of  the  boat,  went  on 
shore,  and  soon  found  a  large  curio  shop,  the 
wares  of  which  attracted  her  attention,  especially 
a  painting  of  a  cat  which  hung  from  the  wall. 
This  so  struck  her  fancy,  that  she  returned  to 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  75 


exhort  her  husband  to  try  and  procure  it.  A 
crowd  followed  her,  and  collected  around  the 
boat,  jabbering  in  some  unknown  tongue. 

"After  inspecting  the  cargo,  the  inhabitants 
of  this  foreign  realm  seemed  evidently  to  be  ask- 
ing the  price.  Instructed  by  his  wife,  the  man 
held  up  five  fingers,  which  at  length  was  rightly 
interpreted  to  mean  five  hundred  ounces  of  sil- 
ver. Further  signs  were  made  to  show  that  the 
picture  of  the  cat  must  be  given  in.  It  was  done, 
and  they  set  sail  again. 

"Fortune  brought  them  eventually  to  a  city 
upon  the  shores  of  China,  from  whence  the  for- 
mer water-carrier  proceeded  home  with  his  wife, 
but  they  were  treated  very  shabbily,  being  put 
into  a  stable.  Here,  however,  they  learnt  that 
they  had  no  ordinary  'treasure'  in  their  picture  ； 
and  after  a  while,  proclamations  were  posted 
everywhere  to  say  that  the  Emperor  was  troubled 
by  the  ravages  of  an  enormous  rat,  which  had 
killed  many  a  cat.  He  offered  high  rewards  to 
the  man  who  would  rid  the  palace  of  the  insuffer- 
able pest.  Hearing  of  which,  the  wife  advised 
the  husband  to  go  off  to  the  capital  with  his  pic- 
ture. He  did  so,  gaining  an  Imperial  interview. 
Having  fixed  the  scroll  upon  the  wall,  he  watched 
beside  it  at  night.    The  rat  proceeded  as  of  old, 


7G     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


but  the  cat  leaped  from  the  scroll  and  killed  it. 
Whereupon  the  Emperor  made  the  man  a  prince 
of  the  realm.    A  good  tale,  is  it  not?" 

"Is  it  all  true,  do  you  think?" 

"True?  Who  said  it  was?  Nothing  is  true 
nowadays.  I  don't  believe  in  anything ― except 
myself,  and  your  suppers." 

THE  FISHERMAN 
Told  by 
YOUNG  LEE 

In  the  northern  part  of  Tzu-chou  there  lived 
a  man  named  Hsii,  a  fisherman  by  trade.  Every 
night  when  he  went  to  fish,  he  would  carry  some 
wine  with  him,  and  drink  and  fish  by  turns,  al- 
ways taking  care  to  pour  out  a  libation  on  the 
ground,  accompanied  by  the  following  invocation 
― "Drink  too,  ye  drowned  spirits  of  the  river!" 
Such  was  his  regular  custom  ；  and  it  was  also 
noticeable  that,  even  on  occasions  when  the  other 
fishermen  caught  nothing,  he  always  got  a  full 
basket.  One  night,  as  he  was  sitting  drinking  by 
himself,  a  young  man  suddenly  appeared  and  be- 
gan walking  up  and  down  near  him.  Hsii 
offered  him  a  cup  of  wine,  which  was  readily  ac- 
cepted, and  they  remained  chatting  together 
throughout  the  night,  Hsii  meanwhile  not  catch- 


HSU  THE  FISHERMAN 


I 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  77 


ing  a  single  fish.  However,  just  as  he  was  giv- 
ing up  all  hope  of  doing  anything,  the  young  man 
rose  and  said  he  would  go  a  little  way  down  the 
stream  and  beat  them  up  towards  Hsii,  which  he 
accordingly  did  returning  in  a  few  minutes  and 
warning  him  to  be  on  the  lookout.  Hsii  now 
heard  a  noise  like  that  of  a  shoal  coming  up  the 
stream,  and  casting  his  net,  made  a  splendid  haul, 
一 all  that  he  caught  being  over  a  foot  in  length. 
Greatly  delighted,  he  now  prepared  to  go  home, 
first  offering  his  companion  a  share  of  the  fish, 
which  the  latter  declined,  saying  that  he  had  of- 
ten received  kindnesses  from  Mi*.  Hsii,  and  that 
he  would  he  only  too  happy  to  help  him  reg- 
ularly in  the  same  manner  if  Mr.  Hsii  would 
accept  his  assistance.  The  latter  replied  that  he 
did  not  recollect  ever  meeting  him  before,  and 
that  he  should  be  much  obliged  for  any  aid  the 
young  man  might  choose  to  afford  him,  regret- 
ting, at  the  same  time,  his  inability  to  make  him 
any  adequate  return.  He  then  asked  the  young 
man  his  name  and  surname  ；  and  the  young  man 
said  his  surname  was  Wang,  adding  that  Hsii 
might  address  him  when  they  met  as  Wang  Liii- 
lang,  he  having  no  other  name.  Thereupon  they 
parted,  and  the  next  day  Hsii  sold  his  fish  and 
bought  some  more  wine,  with  which  he  repaired 


78     CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


as  usual  to  the  river-bank.  There  he  found  his 
companion  already  awaiting  him,  and  they  spent 
the  night  together  in  precisely  the  same  way  as 
the  preceding  one,  the  young  man  beating  up  the 
fish  for  him  as  before.  This  went  on  for  some 
months,  until  at  length  one  evening  the  young 
man,  with  many  expressions  of  his  thanks  and  his 
regrets,  told  Hsii  that  they  were  about  to  part 
for  ever.  Much  alarmed  by  the  melancholy  tone 
in  which  his  friend  had  communicated  this  news, 
Hsii  was  on  the  point  of  asking  for  an  explana- 
tion, when  the  young  man  stopped  him,  and  him- 
self proceeded  as  follows : ― "The  friendship  that 
has  grown  up  between  us  is  truly  surprising,  and, 
now  that  we  shall  meet  no  more,  there  is  no  harm 
in  telling  you  the  whole  truth.  I  am  a  disem- 
bodied spirit ― the  soul  of  one  who  was  drowned 
in  this  river  when  tipsy.  I  have  been  here  many 
years,  and  your  former  success  in  fishing  was  due 
to  the  fact  that  I  used  secretly  to  beat  up  the 
fish  towards  you,  in  return  for  the  libations  you 
were  accustomed  to  pour  out.  To-morrow  my 
time  is  up :  my  substitute  will  arrive,  and  I  shall 
be  born  again  in  the  world  of  mortals.  We  have 
but  this  one  evening  left,  and  I  therefore  take 
advantage  of  it  to  express  my  feelings  to  you." 
On  hearing  these  words,  Hsii  was  at  first  very 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  79 


much  alarmed  ；  however,  he  had  grown  so  accus- 
tomed to  his  friend's  society,  that  his  fears  soon 
passed  away  ；  and,  filling  up  a  goblet,  he  said, 
with  a  sigh,  "Liu-lang,  old  fellow,  drink  this  up, 
and  away  with  melancholy.  It's  hard  to  lose 
you;  but  I'm  gLad  enough  for  your  sake,  and 
won't  think  of  my  own  sorrow."  He  then  in- 
quired of  Liu-lang  who  was  to  be  his  substitute  ； 
to  which  the  latter  replied,  "Come  to  the  river- 
bank  to-morrow  afternoon  and  you'll  see  a 
woman  drowned  ；  she  is  the  one."  Just  then  the 
village  cocks  began  to  crow,  and,  with  tears  in 
their  eyes,  the  two  friends  bade  each  other  fare- 
well. 

Next  day  Hsii  waited  on  the  river-bank  to  see 
if  anything  would  happen,  and  lo  ！  a  woman  car- 
rying a  child  in  her  arms  came  along.  When 
close  to  the  edge  of  the  river,  she  stumbled  and 
fell  into  the  water,  managing,  however,  to  throw 
the  child  safely  on  to  the  bank,  where  it  lay  kick- 
ing and  sprawling  and  crying  at  the  top  of  its 
voice.  The  woman  herself  sank  and  rose  several 
times,  until  at  last  she  succeeded  in  clutching  hold 
of  the  bank  and  pulled  herself  out;  and 
then,  after  resting  awhile,  she  picked  up  the  child 
and  went  on  her  way.  All  this  time  Hsii  had 
been  in  a  great  state  of  excitement,  and  was  on 


80     CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTEKTAINMENTS 


the  point  of  running  to  help  the  woman  out  of 
the  water  ；  but  lie  remembered  that  she  was  the 
substitute  of  his  friend,  and  accordingly  re- 
restrained  himself  from  doing  so.  Then  when 
he  saw  the  woman  get  out  by  herself,  he  began  to 
suspect  that  Liu-lang's  words  had  not  been  ful- 
filled. That  night  he  went  to  fish  as  usual,  and 
before  long  the  young  man  arrived  and  said,  "We 
meet  once  again :  there  is  no  need  now  to  speak 
of  separation."  Hsii  asked  him  how  it  was  so  ；  to 
which  he  replied,  "The  woman  you  saw  had  al- 
ready taken  my  place,  but  I  could  not  bear  to 
hear  the  child  cry,  and  I  saw  that  my  own  life 
would  be  purchased  at  the  expense  of  their  two 
lives,  wherefore  I  let  her  go，  and  now  I  cannot 
say  when  I  shall  have  another  chance.  The  un- 
ion of  our  destinies  may  not  yet  be  worked  out." 
"Alas!"  sighed  Hsii,  "this  noble  conduct  of  yours 
is  enough  to  move  God  Almighty." 

After  this  the  two  friends  went  on  much  as 
they  had  done  before,  until  one  day  Liu-lang 
again  said  he  had  come  to  bid  Hsii  farewell. 
Hsii  thought  he  had  found  another  substitute, 
but  Liu-lang  told  him  that  his  former  behaviour 
had  so  pleased  Almighty  Heaven,  that  he  had 
been  appointed  guardian  angel  of  Wu-chen,  in 
the  Chao-yiian  district,  and  that  on  the  following 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  81 


morning  he  would  start  for  his  new  post.  "And 
if  you  do  not  forget  the  days  of  our  friendship," 
added  he,  "I  pray  you  come  and  see  me,  in  spite 
of  the  long  journey."  "Truly,"  replied  Hsii, 
"you  well  deserved  to  be  made  a  God;  but  the 
paths  of  Gods  and  men  lie  in  different  directions, 
and  even  if  the  distance  were  nothing,  how  should 
I  manage  to  meet  you  again?"  "Don't  be  afraid 
on  that  score,"  said  Liu-lang,  "but  come";  and 
then  he  went  away,  and  Hsii  returned  home.  The 
latter  immediately  began  to  prepare  for  the  jour- 
ney, which  caused  his  wife  to  laugh  at  him  and 
say,  "Supposing  you  do  find  such  a  place  at  the 
end  of  that  long  journey,  you  won't  be  able  to 
hold  a  conversation  with  a  clay  image."  Hsii, 
however,  paid  no  attention  to  her  remarks,  and 
travelled  straight  to  Chao-Yiian,  where  he  had 
learned  from  the  inhabitants  that  there  really 
was  a  village  called  Wuchen,  whither  he  forth- 
with proceeded  and  took  up  his  abode  at  an  inn. 
He  then  inquired  of  the  landlord  where  the  vil- 
lage temple  was;  to  which  the  latter  replied  by 
asking  him  somewhat  hurriedly  if  he  was  speak- 
ing to  Mr.  Hsii.  Hsii  informed  him  that  his 
name  was  Hsii,  asking  in  reply  how  he  came  to 
know  it;  whereupon  the  landlord  further  in- 
quired if  his  native  place  was  not  Tzu-chou. 


82     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


Hsii  told  him  it  was,  and  again  asked  him  how 
he  knew  all  this  ；  to  which  the  landlord  made  no 
answer,  but  rushed  out  of  the  room  ；  and  in  a 
few  moments  the  place  was  crowded  with  old 
and  young,  men,  women,  and  children,  all  come 
to  visit  Hsii.  They  then  told  him  that  a  few 
nights  before  they  had  seen  their  guardian  deity 
in  a  vision,  and  he  had  informed  them  that 
Mr.  Hsii  would  shortly  arrive,  and  had  bidden 
them  to  provide  him  with  travelling  expenses. 
Hsii  was  very  much  astonished  at  this, 
and  went  off  at  once  to  the  shrine,  where  he 
invoked  his  friend  as  follows  ； 一 "Ever  since  we 
parted  I  have  had  you  daily  and  nightly  in  my 
thoughts  ；  and  now  that  I  have  fulfilled  my 
promise  of  coming  to  see  you,  I  have  to  thank 
you  for  the  orders  you  have  issued  to  the  people 
of  the  place.  As  for  me,  I  have  nothing  to  offer 
you  but  a  cup  of  wine,  which  I  pray  you  accept 
as  though  we  were  drinking  together  on  the 
river-bank."  He  then  burnt  a  quantity  of  paper 
money,  when  lo!  a  wind  suddenly  arose,  which 
after  whirling  round  and  round  behind  the  shrine, 
soon  dropped  and  all  was  still.  That  night  Hsii 
dreamed  that  his  friend  came  to  him,  dressed  in 
his  official  cap  and  robes,  and  very  different  in 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  83 


appearance  from  what  he  used  to  be,  and  thanked 
him  saying,  "It  is  truly  kind  of  you  to  visit  me 
thus:  I  only  regret  that  my  position  makes  me 
unable  to  meet  you  face  to  face,  and  that  though 
near  we  are  still  so  far.  The  people  here  will 
give  you  a  trifle,  which  pray  accept  for  my  sake  ； 
and  when  you  go  away,  I  will  see  you  a  short  way 
on  your  journey."  A  few  days  afterwards  Hsii 
prepared  to  start,  in  spite  of  the  numerous  invita- 
tions to  stay  which  poured  in  upon  him  from  all 
sides;  and  then  the  inhabitants  loaded  him  with 
presents  of  all  kinds,  and  escorted  him  out  of  the 
village.  There  a  whirlwind  arose  and  accom- 
panied him  several  miles,  when  he  turned  round 
and  invoked  his  friend  thus : ― "Liu-Lang,  take 
care  of  your  valued  person.  Do  not  trouble 
yourself  to  come  any  farther.  Your  noble  heart 
will  ensure  happiness  to  this  district,  and  there  is 
no  occasion  for  me  to  give  a  word  of  advice  to  my 
old  friend."  By-and-by  the  whirlwind  ceased, 
and  the  villagers,  who  were  much  astonished,  re- 
turned to  their  own  homes.  Hsii,  too,  travelled 
homewards,  and  being  now  a  man  of  some  means, 
ceased  to  work  any  more  as  a  fisherman. 
And  whenever  he  met  a  Chao-yiian  man  he 
would  ask  him  about  that  guardian  angel,  being 


84     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 

always  informed  in  reply  that  he  was  a  n 
beneficent  God.  Some  say  the  place  was  S 
k'eng-chuang,  in  Chang-ch'in:  I  can't  say  w 
it  was  myself. 


PART  II 
TAOIST  TALES 
Told  at 
A  TAO  ANNIVERSARY 


Friends!"  said  Kro  Tzu  Chien,  to  the 
gathering  at  his  lodge  on  the  occasion  of  an  even- 
ing devoted  to  Taoist  lore :  "we  are  here  to-night 
to  pay  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  great  sage 
Lao-Tzu,  founder  of  Taoism  and  author  of 
the  most  Sacred  Book,  the  Tao  Teh  King 一 
which  might  mean  Book  of  Nature's  Way. 

"Lao-Tzu,  or  the  aged  philosopher,  was  born 
604  B.  C.  in  the  Province  of  Houan  and  popul'ir 
tradition  tells  us  he  was  eighty-one  years  at  birth, 
had  Snowy  White  hair  and  the  appearance  of  an 
aged  Saint.  He  called  people  back  to  nature 
saying :  'Never  yet  become  so  unnatural  that  the 
natural  looks  unnatural,  and  the  unnatural  looks 
natural  to  you:  Rather  say  to  yourself  'If  Na- 
ture is  good  enough  for  the  spirit  of  Heaven  it 
should  be  good  enough  for  the  human.'  Again 
he  says :  'Man  takes  his  laws  from  the  earth  ；  the 
earth  takes  its  laws  from  Heaven  ；  Heaven  takes 
its  laws  from  the  Tao,  and  the  Tao  takes  its 
laws  from  what  is  in  itself — the  spirit  of  the  Tao 
or  the  first  cause.'    We  have  in  the  gathering, 

87 


88     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


here  this  evening,  many  very  old  and  most  hon- 
orable sages  who  will  tell  us  some  of  the  Taoist 
tales  that  they  heard  from  their  elders,  when  they 
were  in  their  youth. 

"Lao  Tzu  himself  said:  'The  Tao  that  can  be 
defined  is  not  the  true  Tao.'  Yet  he  tells  us: 
'When  man  follows  the  dictates  of  his  higher 
nature  his  actions  are  good,  and  harmony  re- 
sults. When  he  is  unduly  influenced  by  the  out- 
ward world  his  actions  are  evil,  and  discords  come 
into  his  life.  The  true  Taoist  is  one  who  has  an 
instinctive  inward  sight  of  the  ultimate  principle 
in  its  twofold  operation,  or  what  might  be  called 
the  sight  of  the  Heaven  Spirit ― the  beatific  vi- 
sion, and  who  has  the  cosmic  spirit  within,  which 
makes  it  easy  to  sense  and  obey  nature.'  One 
who  has  this  cosmic  pulse  is  perfectly  wise  ；  his 
action  perfectly  good;  and  his  words  perfectly 
true; ― for  he  is  in  the  Tao,  and  the  Tao  is  the 
flow  of  the  divine  Spirit  in  human  life. 

"I  will  now  ask  the  Honorable  Taoist  Sage, 
Kang  Yang  Ti，  if  he  will  honor  us  in  opening 
the  evening's  Story-telling  by  giving  us  a  Taoist 
description  of  the  place  where  dwells  the  Spirit 
of  our  honorable  ancestors. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  89 


THE  TAOIST'S  DESCRIPTION  OF 
HEAVEN 

Told  by 
KANG  LANG  TI 

The  Taoist,  having  ascended  to  the  boundary 
on  high,  he  all  at  once  saw  the  halls  of  heaven, 
where  golden  light  spirited  forth  its  ruddy  rain- 
bows in  a  myriad  directions,  while  the  felicitous 
air  breathed  out  a  thousand  streams  of  purple 
vapour. 

The  southern  gate  of  heaven  was  of  the  deep- 
est emerald  glass,  glistening  and  lucent,  as  if 
fused  in  a  precious  cauldron.  On  either  side 
were  four  massive  pillars,  around  which  twined 
pink-bearded  dragons,  cloud-riding  and  mist-dis- 
persing. In  the  midst  were  two  jade  bridges, 
standing  whereon  were  the  cloud-aspiring  phoe- 
nixes, with  irridescent  plumage  and  cinnabar- 
coloured  crests,  mid  glistening  beams  of  ruby 
sunset  light,  and  emerald  vapours,  which  ob- 
scured the  starry  constellations  and  the  light  of 
day. 

There  are  thirty-three  pavilions  in  heaven  ；  the 
cloud-dividing  pavilion,  the  wave-collecting  pa- 


90     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


vilion,  the  purple  sunset  pavilion,  the  pavilion  of 
the  sun,  the  pavilion  of  the  moon,  the  pavilion  of 
ever-renewing  pleasure  among  them.  Each  pa- 
vilion is  ceiled  with  the  teeth  of  the  celestial  stag. 

There  are  seventy-two  tiers  of  palaces,  by  the 
pillars  of  which  stand  ranks  of  jade  unicorns. 
There  is  the  star  of  longevity  tower,  the  star  of 
emolument  tower,  and  the  star  of  happiness 
tower.  At  their  bases  are  wondrous  flowers, 
which  fade  not  in  a  thousand  thousand  years. 
There  is  the  immortality  pill  brazier,  the  eight 
diagrams  brazier  and  the  water-fire  brazier. 
Between  these  springs  which  are  verdant  and 
flourishing  for  a  myriad  myriad  years. 

Within  the  sacred  palaces  the  robes  of  the 
blessed  are  of  rose-coloured  gauze.  Beneath  the 
vermilion  throne  steps  are  they  whose  headgear 
is  like  the  mallow  flower.  That  temple  of  living 
empyrean  ！  The  golden  dragons  crowd  through 
its  jade  portals.  Those  sacred,  towers ！  The 
phoenixes  leap  by  the  jade-hewn  gates,  moving 
in  and  out  along  corridors  ornate  with  translu- 
cent tracery.  Triple  colonnades  ！  Quadruple 
mansions  ！  Ranks  upon  ranks  of  dragons  and 
phoenixes  soaring  hither  and  thither.  And  high 
above  all  flash  beams  of  purple  light.  Clear 
their  splendour;  brilliant  with  many  a  scintilla- 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  91 


tion.  A  clear  clanging  sound  proceeds  from  the 
neck  of  the  magic  gourd.  On  every  hand  are 
heard  tinklings  varied  and  confused,  laminated 
sounds  as  of  gurgling  and  dripping,  brightly  so- 
norous like  those  of  the  jade  pendants  of  the 
courtiers. 

Truly  wondrous  the  sights  and  sounds  of  hea- 
ven, so  rarely  known  on  earth.  Golden  portals 
of  paradise ；  silvery  courts  majestic;  purple  halls; 
wondrous  flowers,  strange  herbs  fill  the  jasper 
realm,  far  beneath  whose  audience  chambers 
courses  the  gemmous  hare  (the  moon,  you 
know)  ；  far  beneath  where  they  bow  before  the 
sacred  majesty  flies  the  golden  crow  (the  sun,  of 
course ) .  He  who  has  the  felicity  to  reach  the 
heavenly  boundary  will  never  grovel  again  in 
the  filthy  mud  of  earth. 

Here  a  dog  barked,  and  the  hens  cackled,  which 
drew  forth  the  remark  that  a  Taoist  philosopher 
(Hwai  Nan-tsz ― died  B.  C.  122)  attained  to 
such  merit,  that  when  he  ascended  the  skies  his 
chickens  and  dogs  ascended  with  him. 

The  household  then  retired  to  rest,  and  prob- 
ably to  dream  of  invisible  men  and  of  heaven. 


92     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


A  TAOIST  EXPLAINS  LOVE 
Told  by 
MAH  TI 

It  was  evening,  and  I  sat  with  a  Taoist  sage 
upon  the  soft  turf  of  the  mountain-side,  the 
quietness  of  our  mood  in  sympathy  with  the 
solemn  stillness  of  twilight.  The  distant  moun- 
tain-ranges reposed  in  an  atmosphere  breathing 
reverence  and  devotion ― they  seemed  to  be  kneel- 
ing beneath  the  heavens,  beneath  the  slow-de- 
scending blessing  of  night.  The  isolated  trees 
dotted  here  and  there  about  the  hills  stood  mo- 
tionless, in  a  pause  of  silent  worshipping.  The 
rush  of  the  sea  sounded  distant  and  indistinct, 
lost  in  its  own  greatness.  Peace  lay  over  every- 
thing, and  soft  sounds  went  up,  as  of  prayer. 

The  hermit  sat  beside  me,  dignified  as  a  tree 
in  the  midst  of  Nature,  and  awe-inspiring  as  the 
evening  itself. 

I  had  returned  to  question  him  again.  For 
my  soul  found  no  repose  apart  from  him,  and  a 
mighty  impulse  was  stirring  within  me.  But 
now  that  I  found  myself  near  him,  I  hardly 
dared  to  speak  ；  and  indeed  it  seemed  as  though 
words  were  no  longer  necessary ― as  though 
everything  lay,  of  itself,  open  and  clear  as  day- 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  93 


light.  How  goodly  and  simple  everything 
appeared  that  evening!  Was  it  not  my  own  in- 
most being  that  I  recognized  in  all  the  beauty 
around  me?  And  was  not  the  whole  on  the 
point  of  being  absorbed  into  the  Eternal? 

Nevertheless  I  broke  in  upon  this  train  of  feel- 
ing, and  cleft  the  peaceful  silence  with  my  voice: 

"Father,"  I  said  sadly,  "all  your  words  have 
sunk  into  my  mind,  and  my  soul  is  filled  with  the 
balm  of  them.  This  soul  of  mine  is  no  longer 
my  own ― no  longer  what  I  used  to  be.  It  is  as 
though  I  were  dead:  And  I  know  not  what  is 
taking  place  within  me ― by  day  and  by  night ― 
causing  it  to  grow  so  light,  and  clear,  and  vacant 
in  my  mind.  Father,  I  know  it  is  Tao;  it  is 
death,  and  glorious  resurrection  ；  but  it  is  not 
love  ；  and  without  love,  Tao  appears  to  me  but  a 
gloomy  lie." 

The  old  man  looked  round  him  at  the  evening 
scene,  and  smiled  gently. 

"What  is  love?"  he  asked  calmly.  "Are  you 
sure  about  that,  I  wonder?" 

"No,  I  am  not  sure,"  I  answered.  "I  do  not 
know  anything  about  it,  but  that  is  just  the  rea- 
son for  its  great  blessedness.  Yes,  do  but  let  me 
express  it!  I  mean:  love  of  a  maiden,  love  of 
a  woman. — I  remember  yet,  Father,  what  it 


94     CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


was  to  me  when  I  saw  the  maiden,  and  my  soul 
knew  delight  for  the  first  time.  It  was  like  a 
sea,  like  a  broad  heaven,  like  death.  It  was  light 
~ and  I  had  been  blind!  It  had  hurt,  Father ― 
my  heart  beat  so  violently 一 and  my  eyes  burned. 
The  world  was  afire,  and  all  things  were  strange, 
and  began  to  live.  It  was  a  great  flame  flaring 
from  out  my  soul.  It  was  so  fearful,  but  so 
lovely,  and  so  infinitely  great  ！  Father,  I  think 
it  was  greater  than  Tao!" 

"I  know  well  what  it  was,"  said  the  sage.  "It 
was  Beauty,  the  earthly  form  of  the  formless 
Tao,  calling  up  in  you  the  lythm  of  that  move- 
ment by  which  you  will  enter  into  Tao.  You 
might  have  experienced  the  same  at  sight  of  a 
tree,  a  cloud,  a  flower.  But  because  you  are  hu- 
man, living  by  desire,  therefore  to  you  it  could 
only  be  revealed  through  another  human  being, 
a  woman ― because,  also,  that  form  is  to  you  more 
easily  understood,  and  more  familiar.  And  since 
desire  did  not  allow  the  full  upgrowth  of  a  pure 
contemplation,  therefore  was  the  rhythm  within 
you  wrought  up  to  be  wild  tempest,  like  a  storm- 
thrashed  sea  that  knows  not  whither  it  is  tending. 
The  inmost  essence  of  the  whole  emotion  was  not 
'love/  but  Tao." 

But  the  calmness  of  the  old  sage  made  me  im- 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  95 


patient,  and  excited  me  to  answer  roughly : 
"It  is  easy  to  talk  thus  theor'etically,  but  see- 
ing that  you  have  never  experienced  it  yourself, 
you  can  understand  nothing  of  that  of  which  you 
speak!" 

He  looked  at  me  steadily,  and  laid  his  hand 
sympathetically  on  my  shoulder. 

"It  would  be  cruel  of  you  to  speak  thus  to  any 
one  but  me,  young  man! ―  I  loved,  before  you 
drew  breath  in  this  world.  At  that  time  there 
lived  a  maiden,  so  wondrous  to  see,  it  was  as  if 
she  were  the  direct-born  expression  of  Tao.  Fm' 
me  she  was  the  world,  and  the  world  lay  dead 
around  her.  I  saw  nothing  but  her,  and  for  me 
there  existed  no  such  things  as  trees,  men,  or 
clouds.  She  was  more  beautiful  than  this  even- 
ing, gentler  than  the  lines  of  those  distant  moun- 
tains, more  tender  than  those  hushed  tree-tops; 
and  the  light  of  her  presence  was  more  pleasant 
to  see  than  the  still  shining  of  yonder  star.  I 
will  not  tell  you  her  story.  It  was  more  scorch- 
ing than  a  very  hell-fire ― but  it  was  not  real,  and 
it  is  over  now,  like  a  storm  that  has  passed.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  I  must  die;  I  longed  to  flee 
from  my  pain  into  death. ―  But  there  came  a 
dawning  in  my  soul,  and  all  grew  light  and  com- 
prehensible.   Nothing  was  lost.    All  was  yet  as 


96     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


it  had  been.  The  beauty  which  I  believed  had 
been  taken  from  me  lived  on  still,  spotless,  in  my- 
self. For  not  from  this  woman, ― out  of  my  soul 
had  this  beauty  sprung  ；  and  this  I  saw  shining 
yet,  all  over  the  world,  with  an  everlasting  radi- 
ance. Nature  was  no  other  than  what  I  had  fash- 
ioned to  myself  out  of  that  shadowy  form  of  a 
woman.  And  my  soul  was  one  with  Nature, 
and  floated  with  a  like  rhythm  towards  the  eter- 
nal Tao." 

Calmed  by  his  calmness,  I  said :  "She  whom  I 
loved  is  dead,  Father ―  She  who  culled  my  soul 
as  a  child  culls  a  flower  never  became  my  wife. 
But  I  have  a  wife  now,  a  miracle  of  strength  and 
goodness,  a  wife  who  is  essential  to  me  as  light 
and  air.  I  do  not  love  her  as  I  even  now  love  the 
dead.  But  I  know  that  she  is  a  purer  human  be- 
ing than  that  other.  How  is  it  then  that  I  do  not 
love  her  so  much  ？  She  has  transformed  my 
wild  and  troubled  life  into  a  tranquil  march  to- 
wards death.  Love  is  the  Tao.  She  is  simple 
and  true  as  Nature  itself,  and  her  face  is  dear  to 
me  as  the  sunlight." 

"You  love  her,  indeed!"  said  the  sage,  "but  you 
know  not  what  love  means,  nor  loving.  I  will 
tell  it  you.  Love  is  no  other  than  the  rhythm  of 
Tao.    I  have  told  you :  you  are  come  out  of  Tao, 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  97 


and  to  Tao  you  will  return.  Whilst  you  are 
young ― with  your  soul  still  enveloped  in  dark- 
ness― the  shock  of  the  first  impulse  within  you, 
you  know  not  yet  whither  you  are  trending. 
You  see  the  woman  before  you.  You  believe 
her  to  be  that  towards  which  the  rhythm  is  driv- 
ing you.  But  even  when  the  woman  is  yours, 
and  you  have  thrilled  at  the  touch  of  her,  you 
feel  the  rhythm  yet  within  you,  unappeased,  and 
know  that  you  must  forward,  ever  further,  if 
you  would  bring  it  to  a  standstill.  Then  it  is 
that  in  the  soul  of  the  man  and  of  the  woman 
there  arises  a  great  sadness,  and  they  look  at  one 
another,  questioning  whither  they  are  now  bound. 
Gently  they  clasp  one  another  by  the  hand,  and 
move  on  through  life,  swayed  by  the  same  im- 
pulse, towards  the  same  goal.  Call  this  love  if 
you  will.  What  is  a  name  ？  I  call  it  Tao. 
And  the  souls  of  those  who  love  are  like  two  white 
clouds  floating  softly  side  by  side,  that  vanish, 
wafted  by  the  same  wind,  into  the  infinite  blue 
of  the  heavens." 

"But  that  is  not  the  love  that  I  mean!"  I  cried. 
"Love  is  not  the  desire  to  see  the  loved  one  ab- 
sorbed into  Tao  ；  love  is  the  longing  to  be  always 
with  her  ；  the  deep  yearning  for  the  blending  of 
two  souls  in  one;  the  hot  desire  to  soar,  in  one 


98     CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


breath  with  her,  into  felicity.  And  this  always 
with  the  loved  ones  alone ― not  with  others,  not 
with  Nature.  And,  were  I  absorbed  into  Tao, 
all  this  happiness  would  be  for  ever  lost!  Oh, 
let  me  stay  here,  in  this  goodly  world,  with  my 
faithful  companion  ！  Here  it  is  so  bright  and 
homely,  and  Tao  is  still  so  gloomy  and  inscrut- 
able for  me." 

"The  hot  desire  dies  out,"  he  answered  calmly. 
"The  body  of  our  loved  one  will  wither  and  pass 
away  within  the  cold  earth.  The  leaves  of  the 
trees  fade  in  autumn,  and  the  withered  flowers 
droop  sadly  to  the  ground.  How  can  you  love 
that  so  much  which  does  not  last?  However,  you 
know  in  truth,  as  yet,  neither  how  you  love  nor 
what  it  is  that  you  love.  The  beauty  of  woman  is 
but  a  vague  reflection  of  the  formless  beauty  of 
Tao.  The  emotion  it  awakens,  the  longing  to 
lose  yourself  in  her  beauty,  that  ecstasy  of  feeling 
which  would  lend  wings  for  the  flight  of  your  soul 
with  the  beloved 一 beyond  horizon-bounds,  into 
regions  of  bliss 一 believe  me,  it  is  no  other  than  the 
rhythm  of  Tao  ；  only  you  know  it  not.  You  re- 
semble still  the  river  which  knows  as  yet  only  its 
shimmering  banks  ；  which  has  no  knowledge  of 
the  power  that  draws  it  forward  ；  but  which  will 
one  day  inevitably  flow  out  into  the  great  ocean. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  99 


Why  this  striving  after  happiness,  after  human 
happiness,  that  lasts  but  a  moment  and  then  van- 
ishes again  ？  Chuang-Tse  said  truly :  'The 
highest  happiness  is  no  happiness.'  Is  it  not 
small  and  pitiable,  this  momentary  uprising,  and 
downfalling,  and  uprising  again  ？  This  waver- 
ing, weakly  intention  and  progress  of  men?  Do 
not  seek  happiness  in  a  woman.  She  is  the  joy- 
ful revelation  of  T'ao  directed  towards  you. 
She  is  the  purest  form  in  the  whole  of  nature 
by  which  Tao  is  manifested.  She  is  the  gentle 
force  that  awakens  the  rhythm  of  Tao  within 
you.  But  she  is  only  a  poor  creature  like  your- 
self. And  you  are  for  her  the  same  joyful 
revelation  that  she  is  to  you.  Fancy  not  that 
that  which  you  perceive  in  her  is  that  Tao,  that 
very  holiest  into  which  you  would  one  day  as- 
cend! For  then  you  would  surely  reject  her 
when  you  realized  what  she  was.  If  you  will 
truly  love  a  woman,  then  love  her  as  a  being 
of  the  same  poor  nature  as  yourself,  and  do  not 
seek  happiness  with  her.  Whether  in  your  love 
you  see  this  or  not ― her  inmost  being  is  Tao. 
A  poet  looks  upon  a  woman,  and,  swayed  by 
'rhythm,'  he  perceives  the  beauty  of  the  beloved 
in  all  things ― in  the  trees,  the  mountains,  the 
horizon  ；  for  the  beauty  of  a  woman  is  the  same 


100  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


as  that  of  Nature.  It  is  the  form  of  Tao,  the 
great  and  formless,  and  what  your  soul  desires 
in  the  excitement  of  beholding ― this  strange, 
unspeakable  feeling ― is  nothing  but  your  one- 
ness with  this  beauty,  and  with  the  source  of  this 
beauty ― Tao.  And  the  like  is  experienced  by 
your  wife.  Ye  are  for  each  other  angels,  who 
lead  one  another  to  Tao  unconsciously." 

I  was  silent  for  a  while,  reflecting.  In  the 
soft  colouring  and  stillness  of  the  evening  lay  a 
great  sadness.  About  the  horizon,  where  the 
sun  had  set,  there  glimmered  a  streak  of  faint 
red  light,  like  dying  pain. 

''What  is  this  sadness,  then,  in  the  Nature 
around  us?"  I  asked.  "Is  there  not  that  in  the 
twilight  as  though  the  whole  earth  were  weeping 
with  a  grievous  longing?  See  how  she  mourns, 
with  these  fading  hues,  these  drooping  tree-tops, 
and  solemn  mountains.  Human  eyes  must  fill 
with  tears,  when  this  great  grief  of  Nature  looms 
within  their  sight.  It  is  as  though  she  were  long- 
ing for  her  beloved ― as  though  everything ~ - 
seas,  mountains  and  heavens ― were  full  of 
mourning." 

And  the  Sage  replied :  "It  is  the  same  pain 
which  cries  in  the  hearts  of  men.  Your  own 
longing  quivers  in  Nature  too.    The  Spirit 


CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  101 


of  the  evening  is  also  the  Spirit  of  your  soul. 
Your  soul  has  lost  her  love :  Tao，  with  whom 
she  once  was  one  ；  and  your  soul  desires  re-union 
with  her  love.  Absolute  re-union  with  Tao 一 is 
not  that  an  immense  love  ？ ― to  be  so  absolutely 
one  with  the  beloved  that  you  are  wholly  hers, 
she  wholly  yours  ； ― a  union  so  full  and  eternal 
that  neither  death  nor  life  can  ever  cleave  your 
oneness  again  ？  So  tranquil  and  pure  that  de- 
sire can  no  more  awaken  in  you ― perfect  blessed- 
ness being  attained,  and  a  holy  and  permanent 
peace?  For  Tao  is  one  single,  eternal,  pure  in- 
finitude of  soul. 

"Is  that  not  more  perfect  than  the  love  of  a 
woman  ？ ― this  poor,  sad  love,  each  day  of  which 
reveals  to  you  some  sullying  of  the  clear  life  of 
the  soul  by  dark  and  sanguine  passion.  When 
you  are  absorbed  into  Tao,  then  only  will  you  be 
completely,  eternally  united  with  the  soul  of  your 
beloved,  with  the  souls  of  all  men,  your  brothers, 
and  with  the  soul  of  Nature.  And  the  few  mo- 
ments of  blessedness  fleetingly  enjoyed  by  all 
lovers  upon  earth  are  as  nothing  in  comparison 
with  that  endless  bliss :  the  blending  of  the  souls 
of  all  who  love  in  an  eternity  of  perfect  pur- 
ity." 

A  horizon  of  blessedner*  opened  out  before  my 


102  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


soul,  wider  than  the  vague  horizon  of  the  sea, 
wider  than  the  heavens. 

"Father!"  I  cried  in  ecstasy,  "can  it  be  that 
everything  is  so  holy?  I  have  never  known 
it ― I  have  been  so  filled  with  longing,  and  so 
worn  out  with  weeping;  and  my  breast  has  been 
heavy  with  sobs  and  dread.  I  have  been  so  con- 
sumed with  fear  ！  I  have  trembled  at  the  thought 
of  death  ！  I  have  despaired  of  all  things  being 
good,  when  I  saw  so  much  suffering  around  me. 
I  have  believed  myself  damned,  by  reasons  of  the 
wild  passions,  the  bodily  desires,  burning  within 
and  flaming  without  me ― passions  which,  though 
hating  them,  I  still  was,  coward-like,  condemmed 
to  serve.  With  what  breathless  horror  I  have 
realized  how  the  tender,  flower-like  body  of  my 
love  must  one  day  moulder  and  crumble  away  in 
the  cold,  dark  earth  ！  I  have  believed  that  I 
should  never  feel  again  that  blessed  peace  at  the 
look  in  her  eyes,  through  which  her  soul  was  shin- 
ing. And  was  it  Tao! ― was  Tao  really  even 
then  always  within  me,  like  a  faithful  guardian? 
And  was  it  Tao  that  shone  from  her  eyes?  Was 
Tao  in  everything  that  surrounded  me?  in  the 
clouds,  the  trees  and  the  sea?  Is  the  inmost  being 
of  earth  and  heaven,  then,  also  the  inmost  being 
of  my  beloved  and  my  own  soul?    Is  it  that  for 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  103 


which  there  burns  within  me  that  mysterious 
longing  which  I  did  not  understand,  and  which 
drove  me  so  restlessly  onward  ？  I  thought  it  was 
leading  me  away  from  the  beloved  and  that  I  was 
ceasing  to  love  her  ！ ―  Was  it  really  the  rhythm 
of  Tao,  then,  that  moved  my  beloved  too? ― the 
same  as  that  in  which  all  nature  breathes,  and  all 
suns  and  planets  pursue  their  shining  course 
throughout  eternity? ―  Then  all  is  indeed  made 
holy  ！ ― then  Tao  is  indeed  in  everything,  as  my 
soul  is  in  Tao!  Oh,  Father,  Father ！  it  is  growing 
so  light  in  my  heart  ！  My  soul  seems  to  foresee 
that  which  will  come  one  day  ；  and  the  heavens 
above  us,  and  the  great  sea,  they  foretell  it  too! 
See,  how  reverent  is  the  pose  of  these  trees 
around  us ― and  see  the  lines  of  the  mountains, 
how  soft  in  their  holy  repose!  The  Tao  is  in  all 
things.  All  nature  is  filled  with  sacred  awe,  and 
my  soul,  too,  thrills  with  ecstacy,  for  she  has 
looked  upon  her  beloved  ！" 

I  sat  there  long,  in  silent,  still  forget  fulness. 
It  was  to  me  as  though  I  were  one  with  the  soul 
of  my  master  and  with  nature.  I  saw  nothing 
and  heard  nothing ； 一 void  of  all  desire,  bereft  of 
all  will,  I  lay  sunk  in  the  deepest  peace.  I  was 
awakened  by  a  soft  sound  close  by  me.  A  fruit 
had  fallen  from  the  tree  to  the  ground  behind  us. 


104  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


When  I  looked  up,  it  was  into  shimmering  moon- 
light. The  recluse  was  standing  by  me,  and 
bent  over  me  kindly. 

"You  have  strained  your  spirit  overmuch,  my 
young  friend!"  he  said  concernedly.  "It  is  too 
much  for  you  in  so  short  a  time.  You  have 
fallen  asleep  from  exhaustion.  The  sea  sleeps 
too.  See,  not  a  furrow  breaks  its  even  surface  ； 
motionless,  dreaming,  it  receives  the  benediction 
of  the  light.  But  you  must  awaken!  It  is  late, 
your  boat  is  ready,  and  your  wife  awaits  you  at 
home  in  the  town." 

I  answered,  still  half  dreaming:  "I  would  so 
gladly  stay  here.  Let  me  return,  with  my  wife, 
and  stay  here  for  ever  ！  I  cannot  go  back  to  the 
people  again!  Ah,  Father,  I  shudder 一 I  can  see 
their  scoffing  faces,  their  insulting  glances,  their 
disbelief,  and  their  irreverence  ！  How  can  I  ever 
so  hide  it  under  smile  or  speech  that  they  shall 
never  detect  it,  nor  desecrate  it  with  their  insolent 
ridicule?" 

Then,  laying  his  hand  earnestly  upon  my 
shoulder,  he  said: 

"Listen  carefully  to  what  I  now  say  to  you,  my 
friend,  and  above  all,  believe  me.  I  shall  give 
you  pain,  but  I  cannot  help  it.  You  must  return 
to  the  world  and  your  fellow-men;  it  cannot  be 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  105 


otherwise.  You  have  spoken  too  much  with  me 
already;  perhaps  I  have  said  somewhat  too  much 
to  you.  Your  further  growth  must  be  your  own 
doing,  and  you  must  find  out  everything  for 
yourself.  Be  eerily  simple  of  heart,  and  you  will 
discover  everything  without  effort,  like  a  child 
finding  flowers.  At  this  moment  you  feel 
deeply  and  purely  what  I  have  said  to  you. 
This  present  mood  is  one  of  the  highest  moments 
of  your  life.  But  you  cannot  yet  be  strong 
enough  to  maintain  it.  You  will  relapse,  and 
spiritual  feeling  will  turn  again  to  words  and 
theories. 

Only  by  slow  degrees  will  you  grow  once  more 
to  feel  it  purely  and  keep  it  permanently. 
When  that  is  so,  then  you  may  return  hither  in 
peace  and  then  you  will  do  well  to  remain  here  ； 
― but  by  that  time  I  shall  be  long  dead. 

"You  must  complete  your  growth  in  the  midst 
of  life,  not  outside  it;  for  you  are  not  yet  pure 
enough  to  rise  above  it.  A  moment  ago,  it  is  true, 
you  were  equal  even  to  that,  but  the  reaction  will 
soon  set  in.  You  may  not  shun  the  rest  of  man- 
kind ； they  are  your  equals,  even  though  they  may 
not  feel  so  purely  as  you  do.  You  can  go 
amongst  them  as  their  comrade,  and  take  them 
by  the  hand  ；  only  do  not  let  them  look  upon  your 


106  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 

soul,  SO  long  as  they  are  still  so  far  behind  you. 
They  would  not  mock  you  from  evil-mindedness, 
but  rather  out  of  religious  persuasion,  being  un- 
aware how  utterly  miserable,  how  go'dless,  how 
forsaken,  they  are,  and  how  far  from  all  those 
holy  things  by  which  you  actually  live.  You 
must  be  so  strong  in  your  conviction  that  nothing 
can  hinder  you.  And  that  you  will  only  become 
after  a  long  and  bitter  struggle.  But  out  of 
your  tears  will  grow  your  strength,  and  through 
your  pain  you  will  attain  p^ace.  Above  all  re- 
member that  Tao,  Poetry  and  Love  are  one  and 
the  same,  although  you  may  seek  to  define  it  by 
these  several  vague  terms  ； ― and  that  it  is  always 
within  you  and  around  you  ； ― that  it  never  for- 
sakes you;  and  that  you  are  safe  and  well  cared 
for  in  this  holy  environment.  You  are  sur- 
rounded with  benefits,  and  sheltered  by  a  love 
which  is  eternal.  Everything  is  rendered  holy 
through  the  primal  force  of  Tao  dwelling  within 
it." 

He  spoke  so  gently  and  convincingly  that  I 
had  no  answer  to  give.  Willingly  I  allowed 
myself  to  be  guided  by  him  to  the  shore.  My 
boat  lay  motionless  upon  the  smooth  water, 
awaiting  me. — 

"Farewell,  my  young  friend!    Farewell!"  he 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  107 


said,  calmly  and  tenderly.  "Remember  all  that 
I  have  told  you!" 

But  I  could  not  leave  him  in  such  a  manner. 
Suddenly  I  thought  of  the  loneliness  of  his  life  in 
this  place,  and  tears  of  sympathy  rose  to  my 
eyes.    I  grasped  his  hand. 

"Father,  come  with  me!"  I  besought  him. 
"My  wife  and  I  will  care  for  you,  we  will  do 
everything  for  you;  and  when  you  are  sick  we 
will  tend  you.  Do  not  stay  here  in  this  loneli- 
ness, so  void  of  all  the  love  that  might  make  life 
sweet  to  you!" 

He  smiled  gently,  and  shook  his  head  as  a 
father  might  at  some  fancy  of  his  child's,  answer- 
ing with  tranquil  kindness : 

"You  have  lapsed  already  ！  Do  you  realize 
now  how  necessary  it  is  for  you  to  remain  in  the 
midst  of  every-day  life?  I  have  but  this  moment 
told  you  how  great  is  the  love  which  surrounds 
me "~ and  still  you  deem  me  lonely  here  and  for- 
saken?一 Here,  in  Tao,  I  am  as  safe  at  home  as 
a  child  is  with  its  mother.  You  mean  it  well,  my 
friend,  but  you  must  grow  wiser,  much  wiser! 
Be  not  concerned  for  me;  that  is  unnecessary, 
grateful  though  I  am  to  you  for  this  feeling. 
Think  of  yourself  just  now.  And  do  what  I 
say.    Believe  that  I  tell  you  that  which  is  best 


108  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTEKTAIXMENTS 


for  you.  In  the  boat  lies  something  which 
should  remind  you  of  the  days  you  have  spent 
here.  Farewell!" 

I  bent  silently  over  his  hand  and  kissed  it.  I 
thought  I  felt  that  it  trembled  with  emotion  ；  but 
when  I  looked  at  him  again  his  face  was  calm  and 
cheerful  as  the  moon  in  the  sky. 

I  stepped  into  the  boat,  and  the  boatman  took 
up  the  oars.  With  dextrous  strokes  he  drove  it 
over  the  even  surface  of  the  water.  I  was  al- 
ready some  way  from  the  land  when  my  foot 
struck  against  some  object  in  the  boat  and  I  re- 
member that  something  for  me  was  lying  there. 
I  took  it  up.  It  was  a  small  chest.  Hastily 
I  lifted  the  lid.  And  in  the  soft,  calm  moonlight 
there  gleamed  with  mystical  radiance  the  wonder- 
ful porcelain  of  the  K wan- Yin  image,  the  same 
which  the  old  man  had  cherished  so  carefully,  and 
loved  so  well. 

There,  in  the  lofty  tranquility  of  severe  yet 
gentle  lines,  in  all  the  ethereal  delicacy  of  the 
transparent  porcelain,  reposed  the  pure  figure 
of  Kwan-Yin,  shining  as  with  spiritual  radiance 
amidst  the  shimmering  petals  of  the  lotus. 

I  scarcely  dared  believe  that  this  holy  thing 
had  been  given  to  me.  I  seized  my  handkerchief, 
and  waved  with  it  towards  the  shore,  to  convey 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  109 


to  the  recluse  my  thanks.  He  stood  there 
motionless,  gazing  straight  before  him.  I  waited 
longingly  for  him  to  wave ― for  one  more  greet- 
ing from  him 一 one  more  sign  of  love ― but  he  re- 
mained immovable. 

Was  it  I  after  whom  he  was  gazing?  Was  he 
gazing  at  the  sea? . . . 

I  closed  the  lid  of  the  chest,  and  kept  it  near 
me,  as  though  it  had  been  a  love  of  his  which  I 
was  bearing  away.  I  knew  that  he  cared  for  me  ； 
but  his  imperturbable  serenity  was  too  great  for 
me ― it  saddened  my  mood  that  he  had  never 
signed  to  me  again. 

We  drew  further  and  further  away  ；  the  out- 
lines of  his  figure  grew  fainter  and  fainter  ；  at 
last  I  could  see  it  no  more. 

He  remained  ；  with  the  dreams  of  his  soul,  in 
the  midst  of  nature 一 alone  in  infinity ― bereft  of 
all  human  love ― but  close  to  the  great  bosom  of 
Tao. 

I  took  my  way  back  to  the  life  amongst  man- 
kind, my  brothers  and  equals ― in  all  the  souls  of 
whom  dwells  Tao,  primordial  and  eternal. 

The  ornamental  lights  of  the  harbour  gleamed 
already  in  the  distance,  and  the  drone  of  the  great 
town  sounded  nearer  and  nearer  to  us  over  the 
sea. 


110  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


Then  I  felt  a  great  strength  in  me,  and  I  or- 
dered the  boatman  to  row  still  more  quickly.  I 
was  ready.  Was  I  not  as  safely  and  well  cared 
for  in  the  great  town  as  in  the  still  country  ？ ― in 
in  the  street  as  on  the  sea? 

In  everything,  everywhere,  dwells  Poetry- 
Love ― Tao.  And  the  whole  world  is  a  great 
sanctuary,  as  well-devised  and  surely  maintained 
as  a  strong,  well-ordered  house. 

"We  fit  as  naturally  into  this  beauty  around 
us  as  a  tree  or  a  mountain.  If  we  can  but  remain 
so  always,  we  shall  retain  the  feeling  of  our  own 
well-being  amid  all  the  great  workings  of  the 
world-system.  So  much  has  always  been  said 
about  human  life  ；  and  scholars  have  created  such 
an  endless  labyrinth  of  theories  ！  And  yet  in  its 
inmost  kernel  it  is  as  plain  as  nature.  All  things 
are  equal  in  simplicity,  and  nothing  is  really  in 
confusion,  however  much  it  may  seem  as  though 
it  were  so.  Everything  moves  surely  and  in- 
evitably as  the  sea.  It  is  all  a  manifestation  of 
divine  love, — Tao  is  the  Spirit  of  God  in  the 
world." 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  111 


STORY  OF  EFFORT  AND 
DESTINY 

Told  by 
LANG  LI  FU 

Effort  said  to  Destiny: 

"Your  achievements  are  not  equal  to  mine." 

"Pray  what  do  you  achieve  in  the  working  of 
things,"  replied  Destiny,  "that  you  would  com- 
pare yourself  with  me?"  "Why,"  said  Effort, 
"the  length  of  man's  life,  his  measure  of  success, 
his  rank,  and  his  wealth,  are  all  things  which  I 
have  the  power  to  determine."  To  this,  Destiny 
made  reply:  "P'eng  Tsu'n  wisdom  did  not  ex- 
ceed that  of  Yao  and  Shun,  yet  he  lived  to  the 
age  of  eight  hundred.  Yen  Yuan's  ability  was 
not  inferior  to  that  of  the  average  man,  yet  he 
died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-two.  The  virtue 
of  Confucius  was  not  less  than  that  of  the  feudal 
princes,  yet  he  was  reduced  to  sore  straits  be- 
tween Ch'en  and  Ts'ai. 

"The  conduct  of  Chou,  of  the  Yin  dynasty, 
did  not  surpass  that  of  the  Three  Men  of  Virtue, 
yet  he  occupied  a  kingly  throne. 

"Chi  Cha  would  not  accept  the  overlordship  of 
wu,  while  T'ien  Heng  usurped  sole  power  in  Ch'i. 


112  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


Po  I  and  Shu  Ch'i  starved  to  death  at  Shou- 
yang,  while  Chi  Shih  waxed  rich  at  Chan-Ch'in. 
If  these  results  were  compassed  by  your  efforts, 
how  is  it  that  you  allotted  long  life  to  P'eng  Tsu 
and  an  untimely  death  to  Yen  Yuan;  that  you 
awarded  discomfiture  to  the  sage  and  success  to 
the  impious,  humiliation  to  the  wise  man  and 
high  honours  to  the  fool,  poverty  to  the  good  and 
wealth  to  the  wicked?"  "If,  as  you  say,"  re- 
joined Effort,  "I  have  really  no  control  over 
events,  is  it  not,  then,  owing  to  your  management 
that  things  turn  out  as  they  do?"  Destiny  re- 
plied: "The  very  name  'Destiny'  ( Something 
already  immutably  fixed)  shows  that  there  can  be 
no  question  of  management  in  the  case.  When 
the  way  is  straight,  I  push  on  ；  when  it  is  crooked, 
I  let  be.  Old  age  and  early  death,  failure  and 
success,  high  rank  and  humble  station,  riches 
and  poverty ― all  these  come  naturally  and  of 
themselves.  Of  their  ultimate  causes,  I  am  ig- 
norant ； how  could  it  be  otherwise? 

"Being  what  it  is,  without  knowing  why ― that 
is  the  meaning  of  Destiny.  What  room  is  there 
for  management  here?" 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  113 


THE  ILLNESS  OF  CHI  LIANG 
Told  by 
MING  HI 

Yang  Chu  had  a  friend  called  Chi  Liang,  who 
fell  ill.  In  seven  days'  time  his  illness  had  be- 
come very  grave  ；  medical  aid  was  summoned, 
and  his  sons  stood  weeping  round  his  bed.  Chi 
Liang  said  to  Yang  Chu:  "Such  excess  of  emo- 
tion shows  my  children  to  be  degenerate.  Will 
you  kindly  sing  them  something  that  will  en- 
lighten their  minds?"  Yang  Chu  then  chanted 
the  following  words : 

"How  should  men  possess  the  knowledge 
which  God  Himself  has  not?  Over  his  destiny 
man  has  no  control,  and  can  look  for  no  help 
from  God.  You  and  I  know  this  for  truth,  but 
our  knowledge  is  not  shared  by  sorcerers  and 
quacks." 

The  sons,  however,  did  not  understand,  and 
finally  called  in  three  physicians,  Dr.  Chiao,  Dr. 
Yii  and  Dr.  Lu.  They  all  diagnosed  his  com- 
plaint ； and  Dr.  Chiao  delivered  his  opinion  first: 
"The  hot  and  cold  elements  of  your  body,"  he 
said  to  Chi  Liang,  "are  not  in  harmonious  ac- 
cord, and  the  impermeable  and  infundibular  parts 
are  natually  disproportionate.    The  origin  of 


114  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


your  malady  is  traceable  to  disordered  ap- 
petites, and  to  the  dissipation  of  your  vital  es- 
sence through  worry  and  care.  Neither  God  nor 
devil  is  to  blame.  Although  the  illness  is  grave, 
it  is  amenable  to  treatment."  Chi  Liang  said: 
"You  are  only  one  of  the  common  ruck,"  and 
speedily  got  rid  of  him.  Then  Dr.  Yii  came  for- 
ward and  said:  "You  were  born  with  too  little 
nervous  force,  and  were  too  freely  fed  with 
mother's  milk.  Your  illness  is  not  one  that  has 
developed  in  a  matter  of  twenty-four  hours  ；  the 
causes  which  have  led  up  to  it  are  of  general 
growth.  It  is  incurable."  Chi  Liang  replied: 
"You  are  a  good  doctor,"  and  told  them  to  give 
him  some  food.  Lastly,  Dr.  Lu  said:  "Your 
illness  is  attributable  neither  to  God,  nor  to  man, 
nor  to  the  agency  of  spirits.  It  was  already 
fore-ordained  in  the  mind  of  Providence  when 
you  were  endowed  with  this  bodily  form  at  birth. 
What  possible  good  can  herbs  and  drugs  do 
you?"  "You  are  a  heaven-born  physician  in- 
deed!" cried  Chi  Liang  ；  and  he  sent  him  away 
laden  with  presents. 

Not  long  after,  his  illness  disappeared  of  itself. 

Duke  Ching  of  Ch'i  was  travelling  across  the 
northern  flank  of  the  Ox-mountain  in  the  direc- 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  115 


tion  of  the  capital.  Gazing  at  the  view  before 
him,  he  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears,  exclaiming: 
"What  a  lovely  scene!  How  verdant  and  luxu- 
riantly wooded  ！  To  think  that  some  day  I  must 
die  and  leave  my  kingdom,  passing  away  like 
running  water  ！  If  only  there  were  no  such 
thing  as  death,  nothing  should  induce  me  to  stir 
from  this  spot."  Two  of  the  Ministers  in  atten- 
dance on  the  Duke,  taking  the  cue  from  him,  also 
began  to  weep,  saying:  "We,  who  are  depend- 
ent on  your  Highness'  bounty,  whose  food  is 
of  an  inferior  sort,  who  have  to  ride  on  unbroken 
horses  or  in  jolting  carts 一 even  we  do  not  want 
to  die.    How  much  less  our  sovereign  liege!" 

Yen  Tzu,  meanwhile,  was  standing  hy,  with  a 
broad  smile  on  his  face.  The  Duke  wiped  away 
his  tears  and,  looking  at  him,  said:  "Today  I 
am  stricken  with  grief  on  my  journey,  and  both 
K'ung  and  Chu  mingle  their  tears  with  mine. 
How  is  it  that  you  alone  can  smile?"  Yen  Tzu 
replied :  "If  the  worthy  ruler  were  to  remain  in 
perpetual  possession  of  his  realm,  Duke  T'ai  and 
Duke  Huan  would  still  be  exercising  their  sway. 
If  the  bold  ruler  were  to  remain  in  perpetual  pos- 
session, Duke  Chuang  and  Duke  Ling  would 
still  be  ruling  the  land.  But  if  all  these  rulers 
were  now  in  possession,  where  would  your  High- 


116  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


ness  be?  Why,  standing  in  the  furrowed  fields, 
clad  in  coir  cape  and  hat  ！  Condemned  to  a  hard 
life  on  earth,  you  would  have  had  no  time,  I  war- 
rant, for  brooding  over  death.  Again,  how  did 
you  yourself  come  to  occupy  this  throne  ？  By  a 
series  of  successive  reigns  and  removals,  until  at 
last  your  turn  came.  And  are  you  alone 
going  to  weep  and  lament  over  this  order  of 
things  ？  That  is  unmanly.  It  was  the  sight  of 
these  two  objects ― an  unmanly  prince  and  his 
fawning  attendants 一 that  was  affording  me  food 
for  laughter  just  now." 

Duke  Ching  felt  much  ashamed  and,  raising 
his  goblet,  fined  himself  and  his  obsequious  cour- 
tiers two  cups  of  wine  apiece. 

THE  INTELLIGENCE  OF 
ANIMALS 

' .  Told  hy 

YIN  HSI 

When  the  Yellow  Emperor  fought  with  Yen 
Ti  on  the  field  of  P'an-ch'uan,  his  vanguard  was 
composed  of  bears,  wolves,  panthers,  lynxes  and 
tigers,  while  his  ensign-bearers  were  eagles, 
ospreys,  falcons  and  kites.    This  was  forcible  im- 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  117 


pressment  of  animals  into  the  service  of  man. 
The  Emperor  Yao  entrusted  K'uei  with  the  reg- 
ulation of  the  music.  And  when  he  tapped  the 
musical  stone  in  varying  cadence,  all  the  animals 
danced  to  the  sound  of  the  music.  When  the 
strains  of  the  Shao  were  heard  on  the  flute,  the 
phoenix  itself  flew  down  to  assist.  This  was  the 
attraction  of  ammals  by  the  power  of  music.  In 
what,  then,  do  the  minds  of  birds  and  beasts  differ 
from  the  minds  of  men?  Only  the  sounds  they 
utter  are  different,  and  the  secret  by  which  com- 
munication may  be  effected  is  unknown.  But 
the  wisdom  and  penetration  of  the  Sage  are  un- 
limited : that  is  why  he  is  able  to  lead  them  to  do 
his  bidding.  The  intelligence  of  animals  is  in- 
nate even  as  that  of  man.  Their  common  desire 
is  for  propagation  of  life,  but  their  instincts  are 
not  derived  from  any  human  source.  There  is 
pairing  between  the  male  and  the  female,  and 
mutual  attachment  between  the  mother  and  her 
young.  They  shun  the  open  plain  and  keep  to 
the  mountainous  parts  ；  they  flee  the  cold  and 
make  for  warmth  ；  when  they  settle,  they  gather 
in  flocks :  when  they  travel,  they  preserve  a  fixed 
order.  The  young  ones  are  stationed  in  the  mid- 
dle, the  stronger  ones  place  themselves  on  the 
outside.    They  show  one  another  the  way  to  the 


118  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


di'inking-places,  and  call  to  their  fellows  when 
there  is  food.  In  the  earliest  ages,  they  dwelt 
and  moved  about  in  company  with  man.  It  was 
not  until  the  age  of  emperors  and  kings  that  they 
began  to  be  afraid  and  broke  away  into  scattered 
bands.  And  now,  in  this  final  period,  they 
habitually  hide  and  keep  out  of  man's  way  so  as 
to  avoid  injury  at  his  hands.  At  the  present 
day,  the  Chieh-shih  people  in  the  Far  East  can  in 
many  cases  interpret  the  language  of  the  six  do- 
mestic animals,  although  they  have  probably  but 
an  imperfect  understanding  of  it. 

In  remote  antiquity,  there  were  men  of  divine 
enlightenment  who  were  perfectly  acquainted 
with  the  feelings  and  habits  of  all  living  things, 
and  thoroughly  understood  the  language  of  the 
various  species.  The  latter  assembled  at  their 
bidding,  and  received  the  instruction  imparted  to 
them,  exactly  like  human  beings.  .  .  .  These 
sages  declared  that,  in  mind  and  understanding, 
there  was  no  wide  gulf  between  any  of  the  living 
species  endowed  with  blood  and  breath.  And, 
therefore,  knowing  that  this  was  so,  they  neg- 
lected or  passed  over  none  that  came  to  them  for 
instruction. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  119 


A  BAD  MEMORY 
Told  hij 
KUAN  TZU 

Yang-li-Hua-tzu,  of  the  Sung  State,  was 
afflicted  in  middle  age  by  the  disease  of  amnesia. 
Anything  lie  received  in  the  morning  he  had  for- 
gotten by  the  evening;  anything  he  gave  away 
in  the  evening  lie  had  forgotten  the  next  morning. 
Out-of-doors,  he  forgot  to  talk  ；  indoors,  he  for- 
got to  sit  down.  At  any  given  moment,  he  had 
no  recollection  of  what  had  just  taken  place;  and 
a  little  later  on,  he  could  not  even  recollect  what 
had  happened  then.  All  his  family  were  per- 
fectly disgusted  with  him.  Fortune-tellers  were 
summoned,  but  their  divinations  proved  unsuc- 
cessful ； wizards  were  sought  out,  but  their  ex- 
orcisms were  ineffectual;  physicians  were  called 
in,  but  their  remedies  were  'of  no  avail.  At  last, 
a  learned  professor  from  the  Lu  State  volun- 
teered his  services,  declaring  that  he  could  effect 
a  cure.  Hua-tzu's  wife  and  family  immediately 
offered  him  half  their  landed  property  if  only  he 
would  tell  them  how  to  set  to  work.  The  pro- 
fessor replied :  "This  is  a  case  which  cannot  be 
dealt  with  by  means  of  auspices  and  diagrams  ； 


120  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


the  evil  cannot  be  removed  by  prayers  and  in* 
cantations,  nor  successfully  combated  by  drugs 
and  potions.  What  I  shall  try  to  do  is  to  in- 
fluence his  mind  and  turn  the  current  of  his 
thoughts  ；  in  that  way  cure  is  likely  to  be  brought 
about." 

Accordingly,  the  experiment  was  begun.  The 
professor  exposed  his  patient  to  cold,  so  that  he 
was  forced  to  beg  for  clothes ；  subjected  him  to 
hunger,  so  that  he  was  fain  to  ask  for  food;  left 
him  in  darkness,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  search 
for  light.  Soon,  he  was  able  to  report  progress 
to  the  sons  of  the  house,  saying  gleefully :  "The 
disease  can  be  checked.  But  the  methods  I  shall 
employ  have  been  handed  down  as  a  secret  in 
my  family,  and  cannot  be  made  known  to  the 
public.  All  attendants  must,  therefore,  be  dis- 
missed, and  I  must  be  shut  up  alone  with  my 
patient."  The  professor  was  allowed  to  have 
his  way,  and  for  the  space  of  seven  days  no  one 
knew  what  was  going  on  in  the  sick  man's  cham- 
ber. Then,  one  fine  morning,  the  treatment 
came  to  an  end,  and,  wonderful  to  relate,  the 
disease  of  so  many  years'  standing  had  entirely 
disappeared! 

No  sooner  had  Hua-tzu  regained  his  senses, 
however,  than  he  flew  into  a  great  rage,  drove 


..^ 夂人 


A  CHINESE  MOTHER  TELLING  FAIRY  TALES 


I 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTEETAINMENTS  121 


his  wife  out-of-doors,  beat  his  sons,  and,  snatch- 
ing up  a  spear,  hotly  pursued  the  professor 
through  the  town.  On  being  arrested  and  asked 
to  explain  his  conduct,  this  is  what  he  said: 
"Lately,  when  I  was  steeped  in  forgetfulness, 
my  senses  were  so  benumbed  that  I  was  quite 
unconscious  of  the  existence  of  the  outer  world. 
But  now  I  have  been  brought  suddenly  to  a  per- 
ception of  the  events  of  a  lifetime.  Preserva- 
tion and  destruction,  gain  and  loss,  sorrow  and 
joy,  love  and  hate  have  begun  to  throw  out  their 
myriad  tentacles  to  invade  my  peace  ；  and  these 
emotions  will,  I  fear,  continue  to  keep  my  mind 
in  the  state  of  turmoil  that  I  now  experience. 
Oh!  if  I  could  but  recapture  a  short  moment  of 
that  blessed  oblivion!" 

THE  DREAMS  OF  KAN  YIN 
Told  by 
HEN  TSUNG 

Kan  Yin  of  Chou  was  the  owner  of  a  large 
estate,  who  harried  his  servants  unmercifully, 
and  gave  them  no  rest  from  morning  to  night. 
There  was  one  old  servant  in  particular  whose 
physical  strength  had  quite  left  him,  yet  his 
master  worked  him  all  the  harder.    All  day 


122  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


long  he  was  groaning  as  he  went  about  his  work, 
and  when  night  came  he  was  reeling  with  fatigue 
and  would  sleep  like  a  log.  His  spirit  was  then 
free  to  wander  at  will,  and  every  night  be  dreamt 
that  he  was  a  king,  enthroned  in  authority  over 
the  multitude,  and  controlling  the  affairs  of  the 
whole  State.  He  took  his  pleasure  in  palaces 
and  belvederes,  following  his  own  fancy  in  every- 
thing, and  his  happiness  was  beyond  compare. 
But  when  he  awoke,  he  was  a  servant  once  more. 
To  some  one  who  condoled  with  him  on  his  hard 
lot  the  old  man  replied :  "Human  life  may  last 
a  hundred  years,  and  the  whole  of  it  is  equally 
divided  into  nights  and  days.  In  the  daytime  I 
am  only  a  slave,  it  is  true,  and  my  misery  cannot 
be  gainsaid.  But  by  night  I  am  a  king,  and  my 
happiness  is  beyond  compare.  So  what  have  I 
to  grumble  at  ？" 

Now,  Kan  Yin's  mind  was  full  of  wordly  cares, 
and  he  was  always  thinking  with  anxious  solici- 
tude about  the  affairs  of  his  estate.  Thus  he  was 
wearing  out  mind  and  body  alike,  and  at  night  he 
also  used  to  fall  asleep  utterly  exhausted.  Every 
night  he  dreamt  that  he  was  another  man's  ser- 
vant, running  about  on  menial  business  of  every 
discription,  and  subjected  to  every  possible  kind 
of  abuse  and  ill-treatment.    He  would  mutter 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  123 


and  groan  in  his  sleep,  and  obtained  no  relief 
until  morning  came.  This  state  of  things  at 
last  resulted  in  a  serious  illness,  and  Mr.  Yin 
besought  the  advice  of  a  friend.  "Your  station 
in  life,"  his  friend  said,  "is  a  distinguished  one, 
and  you  have  wealth  and  property  in  abundance. 
In  these  respects  you  are  far  above  the  average. 
If  at  night  you  dream  that  you  are  a  servant  and 
exchange  ease  for  affliction,  that  is  only  the  pro- 
per balance  in  human  destiny.  What  you  want 
is  that  your  dreams  should  be  as  pleasant  as  your 
waking  moments.  But  that  is  beyond  your 
power  to  compass."  On  hearing  what  his  friend 
said,  Mr.  Yin  lightened  his  servant's  toil  and  al- 
lowed his  own  mental  worry  to  abate  ；  whereupon 
his  malady  began  to  decrease  in  proportion. 

THE  WOOD  GATHERER 
Told  by 
TAN  FAN  FU 

'A  man  was  gathering  fuel  in  the  Cheng  State 
when  he  fell  in  with  a  deer  that  had  been  startled 
from  its  usual  haunts.  He  gave  chase,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  killing  it.  He  was  overjoyed  at  his 
good  luck  ；  but,  for  fear  of  discovery,  he  hastily 
concealed  the  carcass  in  a  dry  ditch,  and  covered 


124  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


it  up  with  brushwood.  Afterwards,  he  forgot 
the  spot  where  he  had  hidden  the  deer,  and  finally 
became  convinced  that  the  whole  affair  was  only 
a  dream.  He  told  the  story  to  people  as  he  went 
along  ；  and  one  of  those  who  heard  it,  following 
the  indications  given,  went  and  found  the  deer. 
On  reaching  home  with  his  booty,  this  man  made 
the  following  statement  to  his  wife:  "Once 
upon  a  time,"  he  said,  "a  woodcutter  dreamt  that 
he  had  got  a  deer,  but  coudn't  remember  the 
place  where  he  had  put  it.  Now  I  have  found 
the  deer,  so  it  appears  that  his  dream  was  a  true 
dream."  "On  the  contrary,"  said  his  wife,  "it  is 
you  who  must  have  dreamt  that  you  met  a  wood- 
cutter who  had  caught  the  deer.  Here  you  have 
a  deer,  true  enough.  But  where  is  the  wood- 
cutter? It  is  evidently  your  dream  that  has 
come  true."  "I  have  certainly  got  a  deer,"  re- 
plied her  husband  ；  "so  what  does  it  matter  to  us 
whether  it  was  his  dream  or  mine?" 

Meanwhile,  the  woodcutter  had  gone  home, 
not  at  all  disgusted  at  having  lost  the  deer.  For 
he  thought  the  whole  thing  must  have  been  a 
dream.  But  the  same  night,  he  saw  in  a  dream 
the  place  where  he  had  really  hidden  it,  and  he 
also  dreamt  of  the  man  who  had  taken  it.  So, 
the  next  morning  in  accordance  with  his  dream, 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  125 


he  went  to  seek  him  out  in  order  to  recover  the 
deer.  A  quarrel  ensued,  and  the  matter  was 
finally  brought  before  the  magistrate,  who  gave 
judgment  in  these  terms :  "You,"  he  said  to  the 
woodcutter,  "began  by  really  killing  a  deer,  but 
wrongly  thought  it  was  a  dream.  Then  you 
really  dreamt  that  you  had  got  the  deer,  but 
wrongly  took  the  dream  to  be  reality.  The 
other  man  really  took  your  deer,  which  he 
is  now  disputing  with  you.  His  wife,  on  the 
other  hand,  declares  that  she  saw  both  men  and 
deer  in  a  dream,  so  that  nobody  can  be  said  to 
have  killed  the  deer  at  all.  Meanwhile,  here  is 
the  deer  itself  in  court,  and  you  had  better  divide 
it  between  you." 

The  case  was  reported  to  the  Prince  of  the 
Cheng  State,  who  said:  "Why,  the  magistrate 
must  have  dreamt  the  whole  thing  himself  ！" 
The  question  was  referred  to  the  Prime  Minister, 
but  the  latter  confessed  himself  unable  to  disen- 
tangle the  part  that  was  a  dream  from  the  part 
that  was  not  a  dream.  "If  you  want  to  dis- 
tinguish between  waking  and  dreaming,"  he  said, 
"you  would  have  to  go  back  to  the  Yellow  Em- 
peror or  Confucius.  But  both  these  sages  are 
dead,  and  there  is  nobody  now  alive  who  can 
draw  any  such  distinction." 


126  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


THE  JOURNEY  OF  LIFE 
Told  by 

Yti  HSIUNG,  the  Taoist  Sage 

The  ancients  spoke  of  the  dead  as  kuei-jen 
(men  who  have  returned ) .  But  if  the  dead 
are  men  who  have  returned,  the  living  are  men 
on  a  journey.  Those  who  are  o'n  a  journey  and 
think  not  of  returning  have  cut  themselves  off 
from  their  home.  Should  any  one  man  cut  him- 
self off  from  his  home,  he  would  incur  universal 
reprobation.  But  all  mankind  being  homeless, 
there  is  none  to  see  the  error.  Imagine  one  who 
leaves  his  native  village,  separates  himself  from 
all  his  kith  and  kin,  dissipates  his  patrimony  and 
wanders  away  to  the  four  corners  of  the  earth, 
never  to  return : ― what  manner  of  man  is  this  ？ 
The  world  will  surely  set  him  down  as  a  pro- 
fligate and  a  vagabond.  On  the  other  hand, 
imagine  one  who  clings  to  respectability  and  the 
things  of  this  life,  holds  cleverness  and  capacity 
in  high  esteem,  builds  himself  up  a  reputation, 
and  plays  the  braggart  amongst  his  fellow  men 
without  knowing  where  to  stop: ― what  manner 
of  man,  once  more,  is  this?  The  world  will 
surely  look  upon  him  as  a  gentleman  of  great 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  127 


wisdom  and  counsel.  Both  of  these  men  have 
lost  their  way,  yet  the  world  will  consort  with 
the  one,  and  not  with  the  other.  Only  the  Sage 
knows  with  whom  to  consort  and  from  whom  to 
hold  aloof." 

ON  EVOLUTION 
Told  by 

Ytr  HSIUNG,  the  Taoist  Sage 

Yii  Hsiung  said:  "Evolution  is  never- 
ending.  But  who  can  perceive  the  secret  pro- 
cesses of  Heaven  and  Earth?  Thus,  things  that 
are  diminished  here  are  augmented  there  ；  things 
that  are  made  whole  in  one  place  suffer  loss  in 
another.  Diminution  and  augmentation,  full- 
ness and  decay  are  the  constant  accompaniments 
of  life  and  death.  They  alterate  in  continuous 
succession,  and  we  are  not  conscious  of  any  in- 
terval. The  whole  body  of  spiritual  substance 
progresses  without  a  pause;  the  whole  body  of 
material  substance  suffers  decay  without  inter- 
mission. But  we  do  not  perceive  the  process  of 
completion,  nor  do  we  perceive  the  process  of 
decay.  Man,  likewise,  from  birth  to  old  age  be- 
comes something  different  every  day  in  face  and 
form,  in  wisdom  and  in  conduct.  His  skin,  his 
nails  and  his  hair  are  continually  growing  and 


128  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


continually  perishing.  In  infancy  and  child- 
hood there  is  no  stopping  nor  respite  from 
change.  Though  inperceptible  while  it  is  going 
on,  it  may  be  verified  afterwards  if  we  wait." 

MAN  AND  THE  UNIVERSE 
Told  by 

Yti  HSIUNG,  the  Taoist  Sage 

There  was  once  a  man  in  the  Ch'i  State  who 
was  so  afraid  the  universe  would  collapse  and 
fall  to  pieces  leaving  his  body  without  lodgment, 
that  he  could  neither  sleep  nor  eat.  Another 
man,  pitying  his  distress,  went  to  enlighten  him. 
"Heaven,"  he  said,  "is  nothing  more  than  an  ac- 
cumulation of  ether,  and  there  is  no  place  where 
ether  is  not.  Processes  of  contraction  and  ex- 
pansion, inspiration  and  expiration  are  contin- 
ually taking"  place  up  in  the  heavens.  Why 
then  should  you  be  afraid  of  a  collapse?"  The 
man  said :  "It  is  true  that  Heaven  in  an  ac- 
cumulation of  ether  ；  but  the  sun,  the  moon,  and 
the  stars 一 will  they  not  fall  down  upon  us?" 
His  informant  replied:  "Sun,  moon  and 
stars  are  likewise  only  bright  lights  within 
this  mass  of  ether.  Even  supposing  they  were 
to  fall,  they  could  not  possibly  harm  us  by  their 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  129 


impact."  "But  what  if  the  earth  should  fall  to 
pieces?"  "The  earth,"  replied  the  other,  "is 
merely  an  agglomeration  of  matter,  which  fills 
and  blocks  up  the  four  corners  of  space.  There 
is  no  part  of  it  where  matter  is  not.  All  day 
long  there  is  constant  treading  and  tramping  on 
the  surface  of  the  earth.  Why  then  should  you 
be  afraid  of  its  falling  to  pieces?"  Thereupon 
the  man  was  relieved  of  his  feai's  and  rejoiced  ex- 
ceedingly. And  his  instructor  was  also  joyful 
and  easy  in  mind.  But  Ch'ang  Lu  Tzu  laughed 
at  them  both,  saying :  "Rainbows,  clouds  and 
mist,  wind  and  rain,  the  four  seasons ― these  are 
perfected  forms  of  accumulated  ether,  and  go  to 
make  up  the  heavens.  Mountains  and  cliffs, 
rivers  and  seas,  metals  and  rocks,  fire  and  timber 
― these  are  perfected  forms  of  agglomerated 
matter,  and  constitute  the  earth.  Knowing 
these  facts,  who  can  say  that  they  will  never  be 
destroyed  ？  Heaven  and  earth  form  only  a  small 
speck  in  the  midst  of  the  Void,  but  they  are  the 
greatest  things  in  the  sun  of  Being.  This  much 
is  certain :  even  as  their  nature  is  hard  to  fathom, 
hard  to  understand,  so  they  will  be  slow  to  pass 
away,  slow  to  com'e  to  an  end.  He  who  fears  lest 
they  should  suddenly  fall  to  pieces  is  assuredly 
very  far  from  the  truth.    He,  on  the  other  hand, 


130  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


who  says  that  they  will  never  be  destroyed  has 
also  not  reached  the  right  solution.  Heaven  and 
earth  must  of  necessity  pass  away,  but  neither 
will  revert  to  destruction  apart  from  the  other. 
Who,  having  to  face  the  day  of  disruption, 
would  not  be  alarmed?" 

The  Master  Lieh  Tzu  (a  disciple  of  Lao  Tzu) ， 
heard  of  discussion,  and  smiling  said:  "He  who 
maintains  that  Heaven  and  earth  are  destruct- 
ible, and  he  who  upholds  the  contrary,  are  both 
equally  at  fault.  Whether  they  are  destructible 
or  not  is  something  we  can  never  know,  though 
one  may  hold  this  view  and  another  that.  The 
living"  and  the  dead,  the  going  and  the  coming, 
know  nothing  of  each  other's  state.  Whether 
destruction  awaits  the  world  or  no,  why  should 
I  trouble  my  head  about  it?" 

DREAMS 

Told  by 

YU  HSIUNG,  the  Taoist  Sage 

In  the  time  of  King  Mu  of  Chou,  there  was 
a  magician  who  came  from  a  kingdom  in  the  far 
west.  He  could  pass  through  fire  and  water, 
penetrate  metal  and  stone,  overturn  mountains 
and  make  rivers  flow  backwards,  transplant 
whole  towns  and  cities,  ride  on  thin  air  without 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  131 


falling,  encounter  solid  bodies  without  being  ob- 
structed. There  was  no  end  to  the  countless 
variety  of  changes  and  transformations  which  he 
could  effect  ；  and  besides  changing  the  external 
form,  he  could  also  spirit  away  men's  internal 
cares. 

King  Mu  revered  him  as  a  god,  and  served  him 
like  a  prince.  He  set  aside  for  his  use  a  spacious 
suite  of  apartments,  regaled  him  with  the 
daintiest  of  food,  and  selected  a  number  of  sing- 
ing-girls for  his  express  gratification.  The 
magician,  however,  condemned  the  King's  palace 
as  mean,  the  cooking  as  rancid,  and  the  con- 
cubines as  too  ugly  to  live  with.  So  King  Mu 
had  a  new  building  errected  to  please  him.  It 
was  built  entirely  of  bricks  and  wood,  and  gorge- 
ously decorated  in  red  and  white,  no  skill  being 
spared  in  its  construction.  The  five  royal  treas- 
uries were  empty  by  the  time  that  the  new  pa- 
vilion was  complete.  It  stood  six  thousand  feet 
high,  overtopping  Mount  Chung-nan,  and  it  was 
called  Touch-the-sky  Pavilion.  Then  the  King 
proceeded  to  fill  it  with  maidens,  selected  from 
Cheng  and  Wie,  of  the  most  exquisite  and  del- 
icate beauty.  They  were  anointed  with  fra- 
grant perfumes,  provided  with  jewelled  hairpins 
and  earrings,  and  arrayed  in  the  finest  silks, 


132  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


with  costly  satin  trains.  Their  faces  were 
powdered,  and  their  eyebrows  pencilled,  their 
girdles  were  studded  with  precious  stones,  and 
sweet  scents  were  wafted  abroad  wherever  they 
went.  Ravishing  music  was  played  to  the 
honoured  guest  by  the  Imperial  bands;  several 
times  a  month  he  was  presented  with  fresh 
jewelled  raiment ；  every  day  he  had  set  before 
him  some  new  and  delicious  food. 

The  magician  could  not  well  refuse  to  take 
up  his  abode  in  this  palace  of  delight.  But  he 
had  not  dwelt  there  very  long  when  he  invited  the 
King  to  accompany  him  on  a  jaunt.  So  the  king 
clutched  the  magician's  sleeve,  and  soared  up 
with  him  higher  and  higher  into  the  sky,  until  at 
last  they  stopped,  and  lo!  they  had  reached  the 
magician's  own  palace.  This  palace  was  built 
with  beams  of  gold  and  silver,  and  incrusted  with 
pearls  and  jade.  It  towered  high  above  the  re- 
gion of  clouds  and  rain,  and  the  foundations 
whereon  it  rested  were  unknown.  It  appeared 
like  a  stupendous  cloud-mass  to  the  view.  The 
sights  and  sounds  it  offered  to  eye  and  ear,  the 
scents  and  flavours  which  abounded  there,  were 
such  as  exist  not  within  mortal  ken.  The  King 
verily  believed  that  be  was  in  the  Halls  of  Para- 
dise, tenanted  by  God  himself,  and  that  he  was 


CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  133 


listening  to  the  mighty  music  of  the  spheres.  He 
gazed  at  his  own  palace  on  the  earth  below,  and 
it  seemed  to  him  no  better  than  a  rude  pile  of 
clods  and  brushwood. 

The  King  would  gladly  have  stayed  in  this 
palace  for  decade  after  decade,  without  a  thought 
for  his  own  country.  But  the  magician  invited 
him  to  make  another  journey,  and  in  the  new  re- 
gion they  came  to,  neither  sun  nor  moon  could  be 
seen  in  the  heavens  above,  nor  any  rivers  or  seas 
below.  The  King's  eyes  were  dazed  by  the  qual- 
ity of  the  light,  and  he  lost  the  power  of  vision  ； 
his  ears  were  stunned  by  the  sounds  that  assailed 
them,  and  he  lost  the  faculty  of  hearing.  The 
framework  of  his  bones  and  his  internal  organs 
were  thrown  out  of  gear  and  refused  to  function. 
His  thoughts  were  in  a  whirl,  his  intellect  became 
clouded,  and  he  begged  the  magician  to  take  him 
back  again.  Thereupon,  the  magician  gave  him 
a  shove,  and  the  King  experienced  a  sensation  of 
falling  through  space. . . . 

When  he  awoke  to  consciousness,  he  found 
himself  sitting  on  his  throne  just  as  before,  with 
the  selfsame  attendants  round  him.  He  looked 
at  the  wine  in  front  of  him,  and  saw  that 
it  was  still  full  of  se'diment  ；  lie  looked  at 
the  via-nds,  and  found  that  they  had  not  yet 


134  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


lost  their  freshness.  He  asked  where  he  had 
come  from,  and  his  attendants  told  him  that  he 
had  only  been  sitting  quietly  there.  This  threw 
King  Mu  into  a  reverie,  and  it  was  three  months 
before  he  was  himself  again.  Then  he  made  fur- 
ther inquiry,  and  asked  the  magician  to  explain 
what  had  happened.  "Your  Majesty  and  I," 
replied  the  magician,  "were  only  wandering  a- 
bout  in  the  spirit,  and,  of  course,  our  bodies  never 
moved  at  all.  What  essential  difference  is  there 
between  that  sky-palace  we  dwelt  in  and  your 
Majesty's  palace  on  earth,  between  the  spaces  we 
travelled  through  and  your  Majesty's  own  park? 

During  your  retirement  from  public  affairs, 
you  have  been  in  a  perpetual  state  of  doubt  as 
to  the  reality  of  your  experience.  But  in  a  uni- 
verse where  changes  are  everlastingly  in  pro- 
gress, and  fast  and  slow  are  purely  relative  con- 
ceptions, how  can  the  Ideal  ever  be  fully  at- 
tained?" 

A  TAOIST  CHARLATAN 

Told  by 

YU  HSIUNG,  the  Taoist  Sage 

Mr.  Fan  had  a  son  named  Tzu  Hua,  who  suc- 
ceeded in  achieving  great  fame  as  an  exponent 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  135 


of  the  black  art,  and  the  whole  kingdom  bowed 
down  before  him.  He  was  in  high  favour  with 
the  Prince  of  Chin,  taking  no  office  but  standing 
on  a  par  with  the  three  Ministers  of  State.  Any 
one  on  whom  he  turned  a  partial  eye  was  marked 
out  for  distinction;  while  those  of  whom  lie  spoke 
unfavourably  were  forthwith  banished.  People 
thronged  his  hall  in  the  same  way  as  they  went 
to  Court.  Tzu  Hua  used  to  encourage  his  fol- 
lowers to  contend  amongst  themselves,  so  that 
the  clever  ones  were  always  bullying  the  slow- 
witted,  and  the  strong  riding  rough-shod  over  the 
weak.  Though  this  resulted  in  blows  and 
wounds  being  dealt  before  his  eyes,  he  was  not 
in  the  habit  of  troubling  about  it.  Day  and 
night,  this  sort  of  thing  served  as  an  amusement, 
and  practically  became  a  custom  in  the  State. 

One  day,  Ho  Sheng  and  Tzu  Po,  two  of  Fan's 
leading  disciples,  set  off  on  a  journey  and,  after 
traversing  a  stretch  of  wild  country,  they  put  up 
for  the  night  in  the  hut  of  an  old  peasant  named 
Shang  Ch'iu  K'ai.  During  the  night,  the  two 
travellers  conversed  together,  speaking  of  Tzu 
Hua's  reputation  and  influence,  his  power  over 
the  fortunes  of  others,  and  how  he  could  make  the 
rich  man  poor  and  the  poor  man  rich.  Now, 
Shang  Ch'iu  K'ai  was  living  on  the  border  of 


136  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


starvation.  He  had  crept  round  under  the  win- 
dow and  overheard  this  conversation.  Accord- 
ingly, he  borrowed  some  provisions  and,  shoul- 
dering his  basket,  set  off  for  Tzu  Hua's  establish- 
ment. This  man's  followers,  however,  were  a 
worldly  set,  who  wore  silken  garments  and  rode 
in  high  carriages  and  stalked  about  with  their 
noses  in  the  air.  Seeing  that  Shang  Ch'iu  K'ai 
was  advanced  in  years  and  deficient  in  strength, 
with  a  weather-beaten  face  and  clothes  of  no 
particular  cut,  they  one  and  all  despised  him. 
Soon  he  became  a  regular  target  for  their  insults 
and  ridicule,  being  hustled  about  and  slapped  on 
the  back  and  what  not.  Shang  Ch'iu  K'ai,  how- 
ever, never  showed  the  least  annoyance,  and  at 
last  the  disciples,  having  exhausted  their  wit  on 
him  in  this  way,  grew  tired  of  the  fun.  So,  by 
way  of  a  jest,  they  took  the  old  man  with  them 
to  the  top  of  a  cliff,  and  word  was  passed  round 
that  whosoever  dared  to  throw  himself  over  would 
be  rewarded  with  a  hundred  ounces  of  silver. 
There  was  an  eager  response,  and  Shang  Ch'iu 
K'ai,  in  perfect  good  faith,  was  the  first  to  leap 
over  the  edge.  And  lo  ！  he  was  wafted  down  to 
earth  like  a  bird  on  the  wing,  not  a  bone  or  mus- 
cle of  his  body  being  hurt.  Mr.  Fan's  disciples, 
regarding  this  as  a  lucky  chance,  were  merely 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  137 


surprised,  but  not  yet  moved  to  great  wonder. 
Then  they  pointed  to  a  bend  in  the  foaming  river 
below,  saying:  "There  is  a  precious  pearl  at  the 
bottom  of  that  river,  which  can  be  had  for  the 
diving."  Shang  Ch'iu  K'ai  again  acted  on  their 
suggestion  and  plunged  in.  And  when  he  came 
out,  sure  enough  he  held  a  pearl  in  his 
hand. 

Then,  at  last,  the  whole  company  began  to  sus- 
pect the  truth,  and  Tzu  Hua  gave  orders  that  an 
array  of  costly  viands  and  silken  raiment  should 
be  prepared  ；  then  suddenly  a  great  fire  was  kin- 
dled round  the  pile.  "If  you  can  walk  through 
the  midst  of  these  flames,"  he  said,  "you  are  wel- 
come to  keep  what  you  can  get  of  these  embroi- 
dered stuffs,  be  it  much  or  little,  as  a  reward." 
Without  moving  a  muscle  of  his  face,  Shang 
Ch'iu  K'ai  walked  straight  into  the  fire,  and  came 
back  again  with  his  garments  unsoiled  and  his 
body  unsinged. 

Mr.  Fan  and  his  disciples  now  realized  that  he 
was  in  possession  of  Tao,  and  all  began  to  make 
their  apologies,  saying:  "We  did  not  know,  Sir, 
that  you  had  Tao,  and  were  only  playing  a  trick 
on  you.  We  insulted  you,  not  knowing  that  you 
were  a  divine  man.  You  have  exposed  our  stu- 
pidity, our  deafness  and  our  blindness.    May  we 


138  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


venture  to  ask  what  the  Great  Secret  is?"  "Se- 
cret I  have  none,"  replied  Shang  Ch'iu  K'ai. 
"Even  in  my  own  mind  I  have  no  clue  as  to  the 
real  cause.  Nevertheless,  there  is  one  point  in 
it  all  which  I  must  try  to  explain  to  you.  A 
short  time  ago,  Sir,  two  disciples  of  yours  came 
and  put  up  for  the  night  in  my  hut.  I  heard 
them  extolling  the  power  of  Mr.  Fan,  and  how  he 
was  able  to  make  or  mar  people's  fortunes,  mak- 
ing the  rich  man  poor  and  the  poor  man  rich. 
I  believed  this  implicitly,  and  as  the  distance  was 
not  very  great  I  came  hither.  Having  arrived, 
I  unreservedly  accepted  as  true  all  the  state- 
ments made  by  your  disciples,  and  was  only 
afraid  lest  the  opportunity  might  never  come  of 
putting  them  triumphantly  to  the  proof.  I  knew 
not  what  part  of  space  my  body  occupied,  nor 
yet  where  danger  lurked.  My  mind  was  simply 
One,  and  material  objects  thus  offered  no  resis- 
tance. That  is  all.  But  now,  having  discovered 
that  your  disciples  were  deceiving  me,  my  inner 
man  is  thrown  into  a  state  of  doubt  and  perplex- 
ity, while  outwardly  my  senses  of  sight  and  hear- 
ing re-assert  themselves.  When  I  reflect  I  have 
just  had  a  providential  escape  from  being 
drowned  and  burned  to  death,  my  heart  within 
me  freezes  with  horror,  and  my  limbs  tremble 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  139 


with  fear.  I  shall  never  again  have  the  courage 
to  go  near  water  or  fire." 

From  that  time  forth,  when  Mr.  Fan's  disci- 
ples happened  to  meet  a  beggar  or  a  poor  horse- 
doctor  on  the  road,  so  far  from  jeering  at  him, 
they  would  actually  dismount  and  offer  him  a 
humble  salute. 

Tsai  Wo  heard  this  story,  and  told  it  to  Con- 
fucius. "Is  this  so  strange  to  you?"  was  the 
reply.  "The  man  of  perfect  faith  can  extend  his 
influence  to  inanimate  things  and  disembodied 
spirits  ；  he  can  move  heaven  and  earth,  and  fly 
to  the  six  cardinal  points  without  encountering 
any  hindrance.  His  powers  are  not  confined  to 
walking  in  perilous  places  and  passing  through 
water  and  fire.  If  Shang  Ch'iu  K'ai,  whose  be- 
lief was  false,  found  no  obstacle  in  external  mat- 
ter, how  much  more  certainly  will  that  be  so  when 
both  parties  are  equally  sincere.  Young  man, 
bear  this  in  mind." 

THE  TAOIST  KEEPER 

Told  htj 

YU  HSIUNG,  the  Taoist  Sage 

The  Keeper  of  Animals  under  King  Hsiian, 
of  the  Chou  dynasty,  had  an  assistant  named 


140  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


Liang  Yang,  who  was  skilled  in  the  management 
of  wild  birds  and  beasts.  When  he  fed  them  in 
their  park-enclosure,  all  the  animals  showed 
themselves  tame  and  tractable,  although  they 
comprised  tigers,  wolves,  eagles,  and  ospreys. 
Male  and  female  freely  propagated  their  kind, 
and  their  numbers  multiplied.  The  different 
species  lived  promiscuously  together,  yet  they 
never  clawed  nor  bit  one  another. 

The  King  was  afraid  lest  this  man's  secret 
should  die  with  him,  and  commanded  him  to  im- 
part it  to  the  Keeper.  So  Liang  Yang  appeared 
before  the  Keeper  and  said:  "I  am  only  a  hum- 
ble servant,  and  have  really  nothing  to  impart. 
I  fear  the  King  has  been  leading  you  to  expect 
some  mysterious  secret.  With  regard  to  my 
method  of  feeding  tigers,  all  I  have  to  say  is 
this:  when  yielded  to,  they  are  pleased ；  when 
opposed  they  are  angry.  Such  is  the  national  dis- 
position of  all  living  creatures.  But  neither 
their  pleasure  nor  their  anger  is  manifested  with- 
out a  cause.  Both  are  really  excited  by  opposi- 
tion. Anger  directly,  pleasure  indirectly,  owing 
to  the  natural  reaction  when  the  opposition  is 
overcome. 

"In  feeding  tigers,  then,  I  avoid  giving  them 
either  live  animals  or  whole  carcasses,  lest  in  the 


CHINESE   NIGHTS  E  N  T  E  R  T  A I N  M  E  N  T  S  141 


former  case  the  act  of  killing,  in  the  latter  case 
the  act  of  tearing  them  to  pieces,  should  excite 
them  to  fury.  Again,  I  time  their  periods  of 
hunger  and  repletion,  and  I  gain  a  full  under- 
standing of  the  causes  of  their  anger.  Tigers 
are  of  a  different  species  from  man,  but,  like  him, 
they  are  docile  with  those  who  treat  them  kindly, 
though  they  will  show  fight  when  their  lives  are 
attacked.  But  I  do  not  think  of  opposing  them 
and  thus  provoking  their  anger  ；  neither  do  I 
humour  them  and  thus  cause  them  to  feel  pleased. 
For  this  feeling  of  pleasure  will  in  time  be  suc- 
ceeded by  anger,  just  as  anger  must  invariably 
be  succeeded  by  pleasure.  Neither  of  these  states 
hits  the  proper  mean.  Hence  it  is  my  aim  to  be 
neither  antagonistic  nor  compliant,  so  that  the 
animals  regard  me  as  one  of  themselves.  Thus 
it  happens  that  they  walk  about  the  park  without 
regretting  the  tall  forests  and  the  broad  marches, 
and  rest  in  the  enclosure  without  yearning  for  the 
lonely  mountains  and  the  dark  valleys.  Such  is 
the  effect  of  using  one's  common  sense." 


142  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


THE  DONKEY'S  REVENGE 
Told  by 
KAI  LI  RUNG 

Chung  Ch'ing-yu  was  a  scholar  of  some  reputa- 
tion, who  lived  in  Manchuria.  When  he  went 
up  for  his  master's  degree,  he  heard  that  there 
was  a  Taoist  priest  at  the  capital  who  would  tell 
people's  fortunes,  and  was  very  anxious  to  see 
him  ；  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  second  part  of 
the  examination,  he  accidentally  met  him  at 
Paot'u-ch'uan.  The  priest  was  over  sixty  years 
of  age,  and  had  the  usual  white  beard  flowing 
down  over  his  breast.  Around  him  stood  a  per- 
fect wall  of  people  inquiring  their  future  for- 
tunes, and  to  each  the  old  man  made  a  brief  re- 
ply: but  when  he  saw  Chung  among  the  crowd, 
he  was  overjoyed,  and  seizing  him  by  the  hand, 
said,  "Sir,  your  virtuous  intentions  command  my 
esteem."  He  then  led  him  up  behind  a  screen,  and 
asked  if  he  did  not  wish  to  know  what  was  to 
come;  and  when  Chung  replied  in  the  affirmative, 
the  priest  informed  him  that  his  prospects  were 
bad.  "You  may  succeed  in  passing  this  exam- 
ination," continued  he,  "but  on  your  returning 
covered  with  honour  to  your  home,  I  fear  that 
your  mother  will  be  no  longer  there."  Now 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  143 


Chung  was  a  very  filial  son;  and  as  soon  as  he 
heard  these  words,  his  tears  began  to  flow,  and  he 
declared  that  he  would  go  back  without  compet- 
ing any  further.  The  priest  observed  that  if  he 
let  this  chance  slip,  he  could  never  hope  to  have 
her  back  again,  and  that  even  the  rank  of  Viceroy 
would  not  repay  him  for  her  loss.  "Well,"  said 
the  priest,  "you  and  I  were  connected  in  a  for- 
mer existence,  and  I  must  do  my  best  to  help 
you  now."  So  he  took  out  a  pill  which  he  gave 
to  Chung,  and  told  him  that  if  he  sent  it  post- 
haste by  some  one  to  his  mother,  it  would  prolong 
her  life  for  seven  days,  and  thus  he  would  be  able 
to  see  her  once  again  after  the  examination  was 
over.  Chung  took  the  pill,  and  went  off  in  very 
low  spirits  ；  but  he  soon  reflected  that  the  span 
of  human  life  is  a  matter  of  destiny,  and  that 
every  day  he  could  spend  at  home  would  be  one 
more  day  devoted  to  the  service  of  his  mother. 
Accordingly,  he  got  ready  to  start  at  once,  and, 
hiring  a  donkey,  actually  set  out  on  his  way  back. 
When  he  had  gone  about  half-a-mile,  the  don- 
key turned  round  and  ran  home  ；  and  when  he 
used  his  whip,  the  animal  threw  itself  down  on 
the  ground.  Chung  got  into  a  great  perspira- 
tion, and  his  servant  recommended  him  to  remain 
where  he  was  ；  but  this  he  would  not  hear  of,  and 


144  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


hired  another  donkey,  which  served  him  exactly 
the  same  trick  as  the  other  one.  The  sun  was 
now  sinking  behind  the  hills,  and  his  servant  ad- 
vised his  master  to  stay  and  finish  his  examina- 
tion while  he  himself  went  back  home  before  him. 
Chung  had  no  alternative  but  to  assent,  and  the 
next  day  he  hurried  through  with  his  papers, 
starting  immediately  afterwards,  and  not  stop- 
ping at  all  on  the  way  either  to  eat  or  to  sleep. 
All  night  long  he  went  on,  and  arrived  to  find 
his  mother  in  a  very  critical  state  ；  however,  when 
he  gave  her  the  pill  she  so  far  recovered  that  he 
was  able  to  go  in  to  see  her.  Grasping  his  hand, 
she  begged  him  not  to  weep,  telling  him  that  she 
had  just  dreamt  she  had  been  down  to  the  Infer- 
nal Regions,  where  the  King  of  Hell  had  in- 
formed her  with  a  gracious  smile  that  her  record 
was  fairly  clean,  and  that  in  view  of  the  filial 
piety  of  her  son  she  was  to  have  twelve  more 
years  of  life.  Chung  rejoiced  at  this,  and  his 
mother  was  soon  restored  to  her  former  health. 

Before  long  the  news  arrived  that  Chung  had 
passed  his  examinations  ；  upon  which  he  bade  a- 
dieu  to  his  mother,  and  went  off  to  the  capital, 
where  he  bribed  the  eunuchs  of  the  palace  to  com- 
municate with  bis  friend  the  Taoist  priest.  The 
latter  was  very  much  pleased,  and  came  out  to  see 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  145 


him,  whereupon  Chung  prostrated  himself  at  his 
feet.  "Ah,"  said  the  priest,  "this  success  of 
\  yours,  and  the  prolongation  of  your  good 
mother's  life,  is  all  a  reward  for  your  virtuous 
conduct.  What  have  I  done  in  the  matter?" 
Chung  was  very  much  astonished  that  the  priest 
should  already  know  what  had  happened  ；  how- 
ever, he  now  inquired  as  to  his  own  future. 
"You  will  never  rise  to  high  rank,"  replied  the 
priest,  "but  you  will  attain  the  years  of  an  octo- 
genarian. In  a  former  state  of  existence  you 
and  I  were  once  traveling  together,  when  you 
threw  a  stone  at  a  dog,  and  accidentally  killed  a 
frog.  Now  that  frog  has  reappeared  in  life  as 
a  donkey,  and  according  to  all  principles  of  des- 
tiny you  ought  to  suffer  for  what  you  did;  but 
your  filial  piety  has  touched  the  Gods,  a  protect- 
ing star-influence  has  passed  into  your  nativity- 
sheet,  and  you  will  come  to  no  harm.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  is  your  wife  ；  in  her  former  state 
she  was  not  as  virtuous  as  she  might  have  been, 
and  her  punishment  in  this  life  was  to  be  widowed 
quite  young  ；  you,  however,  have  secured  the  pro- 
longation of  your  own  term  of  years,  and  there- 
fore I  fear  that  before  long  your  wife  will  pay 
the  penalty  of  death."  Chung  was  much  grieved 
at  hearing  this  ；  but  after  a  while  he  asked  the 


146  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


priest  where  his  second  wife  to  be  was  living. 
"At  Chung-chou,"  replied  the  latter  ；  "she  is  now 
fourteen  years  old."  The  priest  then  bade  him 
adieu,  telling  him  that  if  any  mischance  should 
befall  him  he  was  to  hurry  off  towards  the  south- 
east. About  a  year  after  this,  Chung's  wife  did 
die;  and  his  mother  then  desiring  him  to  go  and 
visit  his  uncle,  who  was  a  magistrate  in  Kiangsi, 
on  which  journey  he  would  have  to  pass  through 
Chung-chou,  it  seemed  like  a  fulfilment  of  the 
old  priest's  prophecy.  As  he  went  along,  he 
came  to  a  village  on  the  banks  of  a  river,  where 
a  large  crowd  of  people  was  gathered  together 
round  a  theatrical  performance  which  was  going 
on  there.  Chung  would  have  passed  quietly  by, 
had  not  a  stray  donkey  followed  so  close  behind 
him  that  he  turned  round  and  hit  it  over  the  ears. 
This  startled  the  donkey  so  much  that  it  ran  off 
full  gallop,  and  knocked  a  rich  gentleman's  child, 
who  was  sitting  with  its  nurse  on  the  bank,  right 
into  the  water,  before  any  one  of  the  servants 
could  lend  a  hand  to  save  it.  Immediately  there 
was  a  great  outcry  against  Chung,  who  gave  his 
mule  the  rein  and  dashed  away,  mindful  of  the 
priest's  warning,  towards  the  south-east.  After 
riding  about  seven  miles,  he  reached  a  mountain 
village  where  he  saw  an  old  man  standing  at  the 


CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  147 


door  of  a  house,  and,  jumping  off  his  mule,  made 
him  a  low  bow.  The  old  man  asked  him  in,  and 
inquired  his  name  and  whence  he  came  ；  to  which 
Chung  replied  by  telling  him  the  whole  adven- 
ture. "Never  fear,"  said  the  old  man;  "you  can 
stay  here,  while  I  send  out  to  learn  the  position 
of  affairs."  By  the  evening  his  messenger  had 
returned,  and  then  they  knew  for  the  first  time 
that  the  child  belonged  to  a  wealthy  family. 
The  old  man  looked  grave  and  said,  "Had  it  been 
anybody  else's  child,  I  might  have  helped  you  ； 
as  it  is  I  can  do  nothing."  Chung  was  greatly 
alarmed  at  this;  however,  the  old  man  told  him 
to  remain  quietly  there  for  the  night,  and  see 
what  turn  matters  might  take.  Chung  was  over- 
whelmed with  anxiety,  and  did  not  sleep  a  wink  ； 
and  next  morning  he  heard  the  constables  were 
after  him,  and  that  it  was  death  to  any  one  who 
should  conceal  him.  The  old  man  changed  coun- 
tenance at  this,  and  went  inside,  leaving  Chung 
to  his  own  reflection  ；  but  towards  the  middle  of 
the  night  he  came  and  knocked  at  Chung's  door, 
and,  sitting  down,  began  to  ask  how  old  his  wife 
was.  Chung  replied  that  he  was  a  widower  ；  at 
which  the  old  man  seemed  rather  pleased,  and  de- 
clared that  in  such  case  help  would  be  forthcom- 
ing; "for,"  said  he,  "my  sister's  husband  has  taken 


148  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


the  vows,  and  become  a  priest,  and  my  sister  her- 
self has  died,  leaving  an  orphan  girl  who  has  now 
no  home;  and  if  you  would  only  marry  her 一 ，， 
Chung  was  delighted,  more  especially  as  this 
would  be  both  the  fulfilment  of  the  Taoist  priest's 
prophecy  and  a  means  of  extricating  himself 
from  his  present  difficulty;  at  the  same  time,  he 
declared  he  should  be  sorry  to  implicate  his  fu- 
ture father-in-law.  "Never  mind  about  that," 
replied  the  old  man  ；  "sister's  husband  is  pretty 
skillful  in  the  black  art.  He  has  not  mixed  much 
with  the  world  of  late  ；  but  when  you  are  married, 
you  can  discuss  the  matter  with  my  niece."  So 
Chung  married  the  young  lady,  who  was  sixteen 
years  of  age,  and  very  beautiful;  but  whenever 
he  looked  at  her  he  took  occasion  to  sigh.  At 
last  she  said,  "I  may  be  ugly  ；  but  you  needn't  be 
in  such  a  hurry  to  let  me  know  it;"  whereupon 
Chung  begged  her  pardon,  and  said  he  felt  him- 
self only  too  lucky  to  have  met  with  such  a  divine 
creature  ；  adding  that  he  sighed  because  he  feared 
some  misfortune  was  coming  on  them  which 
would  separate  them  for  ever.  He  then  told  her 
his  story,  and  the  young  lady  was  very  angry  that 
she  should  have  been  drawn  into  such  a  difficulty 
without  a  word  of  warning.  Chung  fell  on  his 
knees,  said  he  had  already  consulted  with  her 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  149 


uncle,  who  was  unable  himself  to  do  anything, 
much  as  he  wished  it.  He  continued  that  he  was 
aware  of  her  power  ；  and  then,  pointing  out  that 
his  alliance  was  not  altogether  beneath  her,  made 
all  kinds  of  promises  if  she  would  only  help  him 
out  of  this  trouble.  The  young  lady  was  no 
longer  able  to  refuse,  but  informed  him  that  to 
apply  to  her  father  would  entail  certain  disagree- 
able consequences,  as  he  had  retired  from  the 
world,  and  did  not  any  more  recognise  her  as  his 
daughter.  That  night  they  did  not  attempt  to 
sleep,  spending  the  interval  in  padding  their 
knees  with  thick  felt  concealed  beneath  their 
clothes  ；  and  then  they  got  into  chairs  and  were 
carried  off  to  the  hills.  After  journeying  some 
distance,  they  were  compelled  by  the  nature  of 
the  road  to  alight  and  walk  ；  and  it  was  only  by  a 
great  effort  that  Chung  succeeded  at  last  in  get- 
ting his  wife  to  the  top.  At  the  door  of  the  tem- 
ple they  sat  down  to  rest,  the  powder  and  paint 
on  the  young  lady's  face  having  all  mixed  with 
the  perspiration  trickling  down;  but  when  Chung 
began  to  apologise  for  bringing  her  to  this  pass, 
she  replied  that  it  was  a  mere  trifle  compared 
with  what  was  to  come.  By-and-by,  they  went 
inside  ；  and  treacling  their  way  to  the  wall  behind, 
found  the  young  lady's  father  sitting  in  conteni- 


150  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


plation,  his  eyes  closed,  and  a  servant-boy  stand- 
ing by  with  a  Tao  Emblem.  Everything  was 
beautifully  clean  and  nice,  but  before  the  dais 
were  sharp  stones  scattered  about  as  thick  as  the 
stars  in  the  sky.  The  young  lady  did  not  ven- 
ture to  select  a  favourable  spot;  she  fell  on  her 
knees  at  once,  and  Chung  did  likewise  behind  her. 
Then  the  father  opened  his  eyes,  shutting  them 
again  almost  instantaneously  ；  whereupon  the 
young  lady  said,  "For  a  long  time  I  have  not 
paid  my  respects  to  you.  I  am  now  married,  and 
I  have  brought  my  husband  to  see  you."  A  long 
time  passed  away,  and  then  her  father  opened  his 
eyes  and  said,  "You're  giving  a  great  deal  of 
trouble,"  immediately  relapsing  into  silence  a- 
gain.  There  the  husband  and  wife  remained  un- 
til the  stones  seemed  to  pierce  into  their  very 
bones  ；  but  after  a  while  the  father  cried  out, 
"Have  you  brought  the  donkey?"  His  daugh- 
ter replied  that  they  had  not;  whereupon  they 
were  told  to  go  and  fetch  it  at  once,  which  they 
did,  not  knowing  what  the  meaning  of  this  order 
was.  After  a  few  more  days,  kneeling,  they  sud- 
denly heard  that  the  murderer  of  the  child  had 
been  caught  and  beheaded,  and  were  just  con- 
gratulating each  other  on  the  success  of  their 
scheme,  when  a  servant  came  in  with  a  stick  in 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  151 


his  hand,  the  top  of  which  had  been  chopped  off. 
"This  stick,"  said  the  servant,  "died  instead  of 
you.  Bury  it  reverently,  that  the  wrong  done 
to  the  tree  may  be  somewhat  atoned  for."  Then 
Chung  saw  that  at  the  place  where  the  top  of  the 
stick  had  been  chopped  off  there  were  traces  of 
blood  ；  he  therefore  buried  it  with  the  usual  cere- 
mony, and  immediately  set  off  with  his  wife,  and 
returned  to  his  own  home. 


PART  III 

Tales  Told  on  the  Eve  of 
THE  FEAST  OF  LANTERNS 


T 

JL  HE  Chinese  Calendar  is  lunar,  but  its  begin- 
ning is  determined  by  the  Sun.  New  Year  falls 
on  the  first  Xew  IVIoon  after  the  Sun  has  entered 
Aquarius,  which  will  never  happen  before  Janu- 
ary 21,  nor  after  February  19.  The  months  are 
strictly  regulated  by  the  Moon.  The  first  of 
every  month  is  new  moon  and  the  fifteenth  is  full 
moon.  New  Year's  is  a  feast  of  great  rejoicing. 
It  is  celebrated  with  paper  lanterns  and  paper 
dragons,  which  are  hung  up  in  arbors  specially 
erected  for  the  purpose  and  carried  about  in  pro- 
cession. On  the  fifteenth  of  the  month,  the 
Chinese  celebrate  the  birthday  of  the  "Spirit  of 
Heaven."  Among  the  Gods  he  is  the  chief  of 
a  trinity  which  is  greatly  respected  all  over  China. 
The  other  two  of  the  trinity  are  the  "Spirit  of 
Earth"  and  the  "Spirit  of  Water."  The  "Spirit 
of  Heaven"  confers  upon  us  divine  blessing;  the 
"Spirit  of  Water"  quenches  the  fires  of  evil,  and 
the  "Spirit  of  Earth"  pleads  for  us  that  we  may 
be  forgiven  our  Sins.  The  birthday  of  the 
"Earth  Spirit"  is  the  fifteenth  of  the  seventh 
month,  and  the  birthday  of  the  "W ater  Spirit" 

155 


156  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


is  the  tenth  of  the  ninth  month.  The  New  Year 
festivities  reach  their  height  and  are  ended  in  the 
"Feast  of  Lanterns,"  which  happens  on  the  fif- 
teenth of  the  New  Moon.  On  this  evening  there 
is  a  large  gathering  at  the  home  of  Tzu  Chien, 
there  is  an  abundance  of  beautifully  colored  lan- 
terns hung  about  the  place  and  inside  large  quan- 
tities of  sweets,  special  cakes,  dumplings  and, 
most  valuable  of  all,  "Good  Cheer." 

When  the  festivities  are  well  on  and  the  moon 
is  high  on  her  way,  Tzu  Chien  calls  upon  one  of 
the  party  to  open  the  Story-telling. 

THE  EVE  OF  THE  FEAST  OF 
LANTERNS 

The  evening  of  the  Feast  of  Lanterns  had  ar- 
rived, and  the  beautifully  coloured  lanterns  were 
lighted  all  over  the  town.  Sun  Hou,  the  oil  mer- 
chant, and  his  wife  went  forth  to  enjoy  them- 
selves. They  permitted  their  domestics  to  ac- 
company them,  but  left  their  unhappy  daughter 
Liu  Chin  Ting  to  meditate  at  home.  Unfortu- 
nate little  Chin  Ting!  Disconsolate  little  Chin 
Ting!  She  had  been  haunted  for  months  past, 
awake  and  asleep,  with  visions  of  the  Feast  of 
Lanterns ― the  holiday  of  the  year.  The  rest  of 
the  twelve  moons  had  passed  away  in  the  dullest 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  157 


monotony,  and  gave  her  a  keen  appetite  for  a 
little  taste  of  amusement.  She  had  long  been 
reckoning  with  confidence  upon  this;  she  had 
looked  to  the  Feast  of  Lanterns  as  an  occasion  of 
perfect  felicity.  She  had  behaved  with  the  most 
dutiful  attention  to  her  parents  ；  they  had  hith- 
erto appeared  perfectly  willing  that  she  should 
accompany  them  on  that  evening  ；  she  had  no  idea 
that  there  could  be  any  other  object  in  attending 
such  a  festival  except  enjoyment,  or,  as  she  called 
it,  fun;  she  had  congratulated  herself  in  the 
morning  that  the  day  was  so  fine;  and  she  had 
anticipated  abundance  of  fun  in  the  evening. 
Oh,  must  not  then  the  disappointment  of  Chin 
Ting  have  been  exceeding  bitter,  as  the  goodly 
fabric  which  hope  had  reared  for  her  of  all  the 
prettiest  cards  in  the  pack,  was  thus  blown  down 
by  the  breath  of  an  unkind  father? 

With  vain  entreaties  she  followed  her  parents 
to  the  street  door :  they  went  out,  closed  it,  and 
removed  the  key,  leaving  her  only  one  dull  lan- 
tern to  console  her  for  the  loss  of  the  illumination. 

She  leaned  against  the  cruel  portal  and  sobbed 
as  though  her  little  heart  would  have  split  into  a 
thousand  pieces.  "Well,  this  is  n'o  fun  at  all," 
she  cried ；  "there's  no  fun  for  me!" 

"That's  a's  you  please,"  observed  a  little  voice 


158  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


somewhere  ；  but  Chin  Ting  could  not  for  a  while 
discover  from  whence  the  little  voice  proceeded. 
She  was  startled  and  terrified,  and  glanced  round 
without  perceiving  any  one.  At  last  her  eye  fell 
upon  a  large  jar,  which  stood  in  one  corner  of 
the  hall;  and  her  astonishment  was  great  at  ob- 
serving a  small,  round  head  appearing  above  the 
neck  of  this  earthern  vessel,  the  lid  of  which  was 
raised,  and  served  as  a  cap  to  the  small  round 
head. 

Chin  Ting's  heart  beat  fast  when  she  noticed 
this  apparition,  and  she  almost  sank  upon  the 
ground  with  fright;  but  she  kept  her  eyes  upon 
the  small  round  head,  and  the  very  good-hum- 
oured and  waggish  expression  of  the  face  a  little 
reassured  her. 

"Don't  be  frightened,  most  beautiful  Chin 
Ting,"  said  the  good-natured  Mttle  apparition. 

"I  wouldn't  if  I  could  help  it,"  stammered 
Chin  Ting;  "but  who  are  you?" 

"Why,"  replied  the  head,  "I  am  just  what  you 
didn't  expect  to  meet  with,"  and  it  laughed. 

"He  laughs  like  fun,"  said  Chin  Ting  to  her- 
self. 

"I  am  Fun,"  continued  the  apparition  ；  "and 
very  much  at  your  service." 
"Who?"  asked  Chin  Ting. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTET T AINMENTS  159 


"Fun,"  said  he;  "Fun,  Fun,  Fun— nobody 
else  but  Fun;"  and  he  looked  excessively  funny. 

"And  why  came  you  hither?"  demanded  Chin 
Ting,  who  began  to  gain  courage  from  the  pleas- 
ing manners  of  Fun,  and  to  enjoy  the  joke  of 
thus  unexpectedly  meeting  with  a  companion, 

"I  came  hither  to  see  the  beautiful  Chin 
Ting,"  replied  he;  "and,  if  it  were  in  my  power, 
somewhat  to  console  her.  If  she  will,  Fun  shall 
be  hers  for  ever  and  a  day.'' 

"But  how  came  you  hither?"  she  asked,  her 
fear  somewhat  returning  as  that  question  oc- 
curred to  her :  surely,  she  thought,  by  some  super- 
natural means. 

"Why,"  responded  Fun,  "I  came  here, 一 I 
got  in, 一 I  appeared, 一 that  is  to  say, ― I  have 
a  certain  talisman ― " 

And  here  Fun  hatched  up  a  long  story  of  as 
many  li  as  there  are  between  Peking  and  Canton. 
There  is  no  occasion  that  we  should  repeat  all 
he  said,  or  attempt  to  impose  upon  your  credu- 
lity, as  he  did  upon  Chin  Ting's.  It  was  no 
talisman  that  assisted  him  into  the  jar;  we  will 
explain  to  you  the  whole  truth  of  the  matter. 

Chin  Ting  being,  as  hath  been  said,  a  damsel 
fair  and  comely,  and  Fun  having  once  seen  her 
by  accident,  he  had  entertained  from  that  time 


160  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


a  strong  and  very  natu'ral  desire  to  have  her  to 
wife.  How  to  obtain  her,  however,  was  a  diffi- 
cult questicM.  He  could  find  nothing  in  the 
book  of  Rites,  that  would  justify  his  forcing 
himself  upon  the  acquaintance  of  her  father  ； 
and,  as  an  old  proverb  observes,  "If  you  cannot 
get  over  the  outer  wall,  you  will  not  get  over 
the  inner."  But  Fun  consoled  himself  with 
another  Chinese  saying:  "He  that  would  steal 
fruit  does  not  borrow  the  gardener's  ladder;" 
and  he  set  his  brains  at  work  to  devise  some  plan 
whereby  he  might  possess  himself  of  Chin  Ting, 
without  consulting  her  father. 

When  the  Feast  of  Lanterns  drew  near,  it 
occurred  to  Fun  that  that  might  be  a  convenient 
as  well  as  propitious  time  for  effecting  his  object; 
and  at  first  he  pondered  on  the  practicability  of 
enticing  away  Chin  Ting,  when  with  her  parents, 
she  would  attend  the  exhibitions  of  the  evening. 
But  a  more  happy  idea  afterwards  entered  his 
mind  ；  and  he  immediately  engaged  in  operations 
for  the  execution  of  this  project.  He  wrote  the 
letter  to  Sun-Hou  and  arraying  himself  as  a 
servant,  delivered  it  at  the  old  gentleman's  door. 
Whilst  the  domestic  into  whose  hands  he  had 
given  it  was  absent,  he  looked  round  for  a  snug 
place  in  which  he  might  hide  ；  and  observing  the 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  IGl 


large  jar,  and  considering  that  it  was  not  likely 
that  he  should  be  detected  in  that,  with  some 
little  difficulty  he  squeezed  himself  in,  and  shut 
down  the  lid.  We  need  not  speak  of  the  mortal 
fright  he  was  in  until  he  was  "safely  stowelTd," 
lest  any  one  should  appear  in  the  hall;  but  things 
happened  luckily,  and  his  concealment  was  com- 
plete. 

From  within  his  jar,  the  cover  of  which  he 
raised  a  little  occasionally,  as  well  to  listen  to 
what  was  going  on  as  to  obtain  air,  he  overheard 
much  of  what  passed  between  Sun-Hou  and  Chin 
Ting,  in  the  neighboring  apartment.  He  was 
delighted  at  finding  that  everything  occurred 
according  to  his  anticipations;  and  waited,  there- 
fore, with  great  patience  and  fortitude,  in  a 
hiding-place  which  would  not  have  been  agree- 
able, certainly,  for  a  protracted  residence. 

Perhaps  it  may  occasion  surprise  that  in  writ- 
ing to  Sun  Hou,  Fun  should  have  given  his  own 
name;  that  he  should  have  directed  suspicion  to 
himself,  when  it  would  have  been  so  easy  to  have 
found  for  it  a  different  channel.  But  Fun  was 
fond  of  frolic,  and  the  most  impudent  dog  in 
all  the  Central  Land.  He  would  have  con- 
sidered it  no  sport  to  have  put  old  Sun  Hou 
on  a  wrong  scent  altogether.    His  object  was 


162  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


to  set  him  at  first  upon  a  right  one,  and  after- 
wards baffle  him  by  well-managed  doublings  and 
windings  ；  and  he  would  not  probably  have 
troubled  himself  to  get  married  at  all,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  compound  extract  of  sport  he  ex- 
pected from  hunting  and  from  being  hunted. 

"And  how  is  it,  Thousand  Pieces  of  Gold," 
said  Fun,  "that  you  are  not  abroad  this  night, 
when  all  other  houses  are  deserted  ？ ― that  you 
are  not  abroad,  outshining  the  lanterns  and  the 
moon?" 

"My  parents,"  responded  Chin  Ting, ― and  at 
the  recollection  she  burst  again  into  tears ― 
"my  parents  would  not  allow  me  to  go  forth. 
My  father  locked  me  up  here,  and  told  me  there 
grew  a  bamboo  in  the  garden  ；  and  all  for  no 
better  reason  than  because  I  was  fond  of  fun." 

"Cruel  parents ！  cruel  father!"  exclaimed  the 
young  audacious;  "if  I  were  the  Thousand  Pieces 
of  Gold,  I  would  exert  me  somehow  to  spite 
them." 

"And  what  could  poor  little  I  do?"  asked  Chin 
Ting.    "Oh,  poor  little  luckless  I  ！" 

"I  could  talk  more  freely,"  said  the  young 
gentleman,  "if  I  were  out  of  this  jar.  But  I  am 
wedged  in, ― I  am  wedged  in  tight!"  said  Fun 
as  he  struggled  to  get  out. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  10；3 


He  struggled  to  get  out,  but  in  vain.  We 
know  not  how  it  was ― he  had  got  cramped,  we 
suppose,  by  his  position  ；  but,  like  the  weasel  in 
the  fable,  he  could  not  obtain  egress  at  the  hole 
by  which  he  had  entered.  Thus  unfortunately 
situated,  he  appealed  to  young  Chin  Ting  i'or 
assistance  ；  and  this,  after  some  hesitation,  she 
accorded.  By  dint  then  of  much  struggling 
upon  his  part,  and  of  an  energetic  handling  of 
his  pigtail  on  hers,  after  a  time  he  got  free  to  the 
waist  ；  but  there  occurred  another  hitch,  which  all 
their  endeavours  failed  to  overcome.  Some 
would  have  been  immensely  annoyed  ；  but  Fun 
was  immensely  amused.  At  last,  by  stamping 
violently  he  broke  out  the  bottom  of  the  jar,  and 
thrusting  his  legs  through  regained  in  part  his 
locomotive  power. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  detail  the  arguments 
by  which  he  overcame  the  scruples  of  Chin  Ting, 
and  induced  her  to  assent  to  an  elopement  with 
him.  She  was  anxious  to  spite  her  papa,  and  no 
less  so  to  see  the  fireworks  ；  she  was  pleased  with 
the  manners  of  Fun,  and  was  fond  of  a  good 
joke.  All  these  considerations,  aided  by  the 
young  man's  eloquence,  might  well  prevail  on  a 
youthful  and  inexperienced  girl.  So  Chin  Ling 
agreed  to  fly  with  Fun;  and, ― by  way  of  carrying 


164  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


the  jest  up  to  its  climax, ― to  get  married. 

In  carrying  into  execution  this  rash  resolve, 
it  was  necessary,  of  course,  to  guard  against  her 
being  recognized  by  any  in  the  streets.  She  dis- 
guised herself,  therefore,  as  well  as  she  was  able, 
and  covered  her  face  with  a  thick  veil. 

Another  difficulty  now  presented  itself. 
They  were  locked  in — how  were  they  to  escape  ？ 

The  house  was  of  two  stories  ；  and  the  upper 
windows  were  not  secured.  They  went  up 
stairs  ；  the  young  lady  assisting  the  youth,  whose 
jar  would  otherwise  have  proved  a  sad  impedi- 
ment to  his  proceeding. 

But  for  the  inconvenient  armour  of  porcelain 
in  which  he  was  arrayed,  Fun  could  easily  have 
leaped  down  from  the  casement  ；  for  he  was 
active  and  brave.  As  it  was,  however,  he  was 
again  dependent  upon  the  lady's  assistance;  and 
exerting  all  her  strength,  more  than  you  could 
have  imagined  could  be  in  her  slender  wrists,  she 
lowered  him  by  his  queue.  When  she  let 
go,  he  had  yet  a  few  cubits  to  fall,  and  this  per- 
haps was  a  fortunate  circumstance,  as  the  porce- 
lain jar  was  thereby  shattered,  and  he  walked  as 
freely  as  ever.  Fun,  however,  was  a  little  disap- 
pointed, as  he  had  enjoyed  the  idea  of  stalking 
about  in  such  a  quaint  disguise. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  105 


Fun  being  safely  on  the  ground,  Chin  Ting, 
with  the  courage  befitting  a  heroine,  leaped  into 
his  arms.  They  were  quite  unobserved;  for  that 
part  of  the  city  was  wholly  deserted,  the  people 
having  gone  to  witness  a  very  grand  display  of 
fireworks  and  lanterns  in  a  neighbouring  square. 

Towards  that  square  Fun  immediately  con- 
ducted his  prize,  and  a  very  few  turnings  among 
some  narrow  streets  and  passages  brought  them 
there.  They  met  with  none  to  question  them 
on  the  way;  for  even  the  watch  had  taken  holiday, 
deeming  it  quite  unnecessary  to  keep  guard  in 
empty  streets.  Chin  Ting,  no  doubt,  was  a  little 
frightened,  as  soon  as  she  had  taken  her  rash  leap 
from  the  window,  at  thinking  of  what  she  had 
done;  and  very  probably  wished  herself  again 
within  the  house  ；  but  as  the  door  was  locked,  it 
was  impossible  to  get  back  ；  and  Fun  used  every 
argument  to  convince  her  of  the  propriety  of 
their  proceeding,  and  to  keep  up  her  spirits. 
It  was  certainly  a  novel  situation  for  one  who 
before  had  scarcely  ever  even  exchanged  words 
with  a  gentleman,  unless  related  to  herself;  but 
the  state  of  excitement  in  which  she  had  been  all 
day,  first  from  delight,  and  then  from  dis- 
appointment and  anger,  had  led  her  on  to  do  that 
which  in  other  circumstances  she  would  have 


166  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


looked  upon  as  the  most  heinous.  But  what  had 
the  greatest  effect  in  restoring  the  courage  and 
spirits  of  Ching  Ting,  was  the  lively  scene  that 
unfolded  before  her,  as  with  her  guide  she  ap- 
proached the  square. 

This  was  bounded  on  three  sides  by  houses  ； 
but,  on  the  side  opposite  to  the  one  where  they 
had  entered,  was  terminated  by  the  river,  in  that 
place  broad,  though  shallow.  The  streets 
through  which  they  had  come  lay  somewhat 
higher  than  the  square  itself,  and  a  flight  of  steps 
led  down  thereinto  ；  so  that  before  they 
descended,  they  had  a  good  view  of  the  large 
open  area,  and  also  of  the  water  and  houses  be- 
yond. Immediately  before  them  was  a  dense 
mass  of  people,  every  individual  flourishing  a 
lantern  ；  festoons  of  lanterns  were  suspended 
above  them  upon  poles,  and  likewise  between  the 
houses  ；  the  stream  was  overspread  with  boats  of 
all  sorts  and  sizes,  the  decks,  the  masts,  and,  in 
fact,  every  part  covered  with  lamps  and  lanterns  ； 
and  numberless  pagodas  and  other  high  buildings 
on  the  further  side  of  the  river,  some  near,  and 
others  at  a  great  distance,  were  similarly  adorned 
with  lights  innumerable.  From  a  raised  platform 
in  the  middle  of  the  square,  as  well  as  from  many 
remoter  points,  a  girondola  of  rockets  was  fre- 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  1G7 


quently  thrown  up;  and  in  the  intervals  a  dis- 
play was  made  of  other  fireworks  of  most 
ingenious  invention.  Luminous  globes  rose  high 
in  the  air,  and  burst  with  showers  of  coloured 
light,  from  among  which  soared  large  birds,  and 
winged  horses  and  dragons,  blue,  yellow,  green 
and  crimson  ；  and  these  seemed  to  chas'e  each 
other,  and  again  to  spit  forth  fire  in  new  forms. 
Now  and  then  down  the  river  would  float  a  huge 
and  stately  serpent,  its  body  drawn  up  in  many 
graceful  bends ― a  serpent,  perhaps,  of  emerald 
light,  with  eyes  of  intense  red, ― and  from  its 
mouth  would  drop  continual  balls  of  fire,  whicli, 
falling  oil  the  river,  assumed  the  form  of  little 
luminous  boats,  and  spread  far  and  wide  upon 
the  surface.  From  myriads  of  people  arose  con- 
stantly shouts  of  applause  and  laughter  ；  and 
when  these  for  a  moment  were  still,  the  more 
melodious  tones  of  musical  glasses  and  other  in- 
stmments  seemed  to  supply  a  sort  of  magical 
harmony,  in  keeping  with  the  wonderful  sights. 

Chin  Ting  was  bewildered  and  delighted. 
She  watched  for  a  time  the  more  striking  and 
resplendent  fireworks,  and  was  dazzled  and  con- 
fused by  the  myriads  of  starry  lights  that 
studded  the  air  all  around,  that  sprinkled  the 
sky,  and  were  reflected  from  the  water.    After  a 


168  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


little  she  began  to  examine  the  lanterns  and  other 
luminous  devices  in  detail  ；  they  were  worth  ex- 
amination, for  their  ingenuity  was  great,  and 
their  variety  surprising.  Every  one  had  striven 
to  loutdo  his  neighbour  in  providing  himself 
with  a  lantern,  remarkable  for  its  size,  or  for 
its  colour,  or  its  form,  or  for  the  designs  where- 
with it  was  embellished.  There  were  some  of 
all  sizes,  from  an  orange  to  a  watch-box  ；  of 
all  shapes,  round,  square,  polygonal,  vase-like, 
like  flowers,  like  trees,  like  animals,  like  men  ；  of 
all  colours,  with  inscriptions  and  paintings  of 
all  shades  of  colour,  and  ornamented  with  devices 
of  the  variety  of  which  could  be  given  but  a 
faint  idea:  the  current  of  air  caused  by  the  flame 
was  used  to  set  in  motion  small  figures  of  men, 
birds,  and  butterflies,  junks,  windmills,  fish,  and 
other  things  and  creatures  ；  and  warriors  fought, 
and  horses  leaped,  and  mandarins  bowed,  and 
monkeys  swung  upon  cords. 

"He-he!"  said  Chin  Ting,  "see  there!  that 
tumbler  standing  on  his  head ― look!  look  how 
he  turns  about  ！ 一 and  there  is  a  mandarin  with  a 
blue  body  and  a  yellow  face.  Ski!  hi!  what  a 
beautiful  firework  ！ ― as  like  a  peacock  as  two 
betel  nuts!  But,  ha!  he!  hey!  ho!  hee!  what  is 
this  little  fellow  doing?    Just  look ！  see!  note! 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  169 


observe  ！  mark  ！ ― why  he's  dancing  Djini-Kro!" 

(Djim-Kro  was  a  famous  tumbler,  who  lived 
in  the  days  of  Yu.) 

"Do  but  behold  that  absurd  little  man,"  said 
Fun,  pointing  in  another  direction,  "how  he  wad- 
dles along,  with  a  lantern  twice  as  large  as  him- 
self.   And  that  ugly  old  woman  by  his  side." 

Chin  Ting  looked  at  the  persons  to  whom  he 
pointed,  and  immediately  uttered  a  scream. 
The  cause  of  her  alarm  may  be  easily  divined. 
The  twain  were  no  other  than  her  dreaded  papa 
and  mamma.  She  well-nigh  fainted;  but  was 
supported  by  Fun,  who  reminded  her  that  her 
disguise  was  such,  as,  if  she  would  but  command 
her  fears,  must  render  detection  impossible. 

Of  course,  Fun  immediately  conducted  the 
runaway  young  lady  to  a  part  of  the  square  re- 
mote from  that  in  which  they  had  discovered 
Sun  Hou.  No  "of  course"  in  the  case.  Fun 
did  no  such  thing :  he  obtained  from  Chin  Ting 
a  promise  that  she  would  keep  up  her  courage, 
and  he  immediately  walked  with  her  up  to  the 
old  gentleman,  her  highly  respectable  papa. 

Sun  Hou  was  strutting  with  the  importance 
of  a  person  who  knew  that  he  was  burning  his 
own  oil;  he  had  fastened  a  long  bamboo  to  his 
back  by  means  of  a  cord  round  his  waist  ；  and  to 


170  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


the  end  of  this,  which  rose  two  or  three  yards 
above  his  head,  was  suspended  his  enormous  lan- 
tern ； his  wife  earned  hers  in  the  same  manner, 
as  did  thousands  of  other  persons. 

Fun  approached,  and  having  made  six  or  eight 
very  polite  bows,  in  returning  which  the  old  gen- 
tleman nearly  shook  his  lantern  off  the  end  of 
the  bamboo,  our  audacious  young  friend  de- 
manded, with  the  politest  form  of  circumlocu- 
tion, whether  his  "venerable  uncle"  did  not  re- 
joice in  the  name  of  Sun  Hou. 

"Sun  Hou,"  replied  Sun  Hou  with  affected 
humility,  "Sun  Hou  is  your  servant's  very  ig- 
noble name." 

"Methinks,"  said  Fun,  "your  Humble  Serv- 
ant has  the  honour  of  addressing  that  very  illus- 
trious Sun  Hou,  who  lives  in  the  conspicuous 
corner  house  of  the  highly  magnificent  lane, 
called  the  Alley  of  the  Salted  Sturgeon?" 

"Your  servitor,"  answered  Sun  Hou,  "dwells 
in  the  place  you  mention.  May  he  ask  your 
most  honourable  title?" 

"The  continually-to-be-sneezed-at  name  of 
youi'  Humble  Servant,"  said  Fun,  "is  Fan-Si. 
I  just  now  slunk  along  by  your  most  noble  dwell- 
ing, and  had  the  little  deserved  honour  of  be- 
holding your  pile-of-volumes  son,  and  your 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  171 


string-of -rubies  daughter,  at  the  window.  Your 
Humble  servant  wondered  greatly  that  they 
came  not  hither  to  make  the  lamps  burn  more 
brightly." 

"Of  a  truth,"  responded  Sun  Hou,  "had  more 
of  my  oil  been  used,  the  illumination  would  have 
been  more  luminous.  But  son  have  I  none, 
though  I  have  a  disobedient  slip  of  a  daughter." 

"It  was  then  perhaps  your  full-of -desert 
daughter's  most  prof  oundly-to-be-reverenced 
husband  ？" 

"There  was  no  one,"  replied  Sun  Hon,  "there 
was  no  man  whatever  in  my  house:  my  daughter 
is  not  married.  Surely  your  exemplary  eyes 
must  have  made  some  mistake."  But  Sun  Hou 
was  startled  somewhat. 

"Indeed!"  cried  Fun:  "toad  as  I  am,  I  am 
quite  certain  that  I  beheld  with  my  one-bigger- 
than-the-other  eyes,  two  persons,  a  gentleman 
and  a  lady,  at  the  window  of  your  dwelling." 

"Though  I  would  by  no  means  deny  it,"  an- 
swered Sun  Hou  (he  would  not  be  rude  to  the 
stranger,  and  therefore  responded  in  such  a 
form),  "yet  I  know  not  how  it  may  be  possible, 
for  I  have  brought  with  me  the  key  of  the  house. 
I  pray  you,  tell  me,"  he  continued,  "who  might 
this  have  been?" 


17*2  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


"Nay,"  said  Fun,  "I  know  not;  I  fear  I  have 
been  impertinent  to  speak  so  much." 

"No,"  answered  the  old  man,  "I  thank  you 
greatly.  My  ought-to-be-very-much-chastised 
daughter ―  But  imagine  for  me  who  could 
this  person  have  been?" 

"Very  reverentially  speaking,  is  there  not  any 
whom  she  loves?" 

"And  if  there  should  be,  how  could  he  get 
through  the  key-hole?" 

"Had  not  the  door  been  open  in  the  day?" 

"But  if  he  had  come  in  then,  where  should  he 
have  concealed  himself?" 

"Oh,  some  will  hide  themselves  in  very  small 
corners.  I  know  a  youth,  a  certain  Fun,  who 
could  hide  himself  in  a  good-sized  porcelain  pot." 

"Fun?  Fun? ―  Why  that's  the  very  muddy 
pool  of  a  youth.  I  had  a  letter  in  the  morning 
which  informed  me  so  much." 

"A  letter ？ ― from  whom?" ― When  conversa- 
tion grows  very  serious,  forms  and  compliments 
are  a  good  deal  dispensed  with,  even  in  China. 

" 'Who  the  black  dragon  can  this  be  from?' 
that  was  the  motto.  I  don't  know  from  whiom  it 
came." 

"Why  that,"  said  Fun,  "is  the  very  motto  of 
Fun's  own  seal.    I  am  well  acquainted  with 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  173 


Fun;  he  and  I  are  inseparable :  and  from  what 
I  know  of  him,  I  would  wager  my  brain  to  a  pint 
of  oil,  that  he  brought  you  the  letter  himself,  and 
then  hid  in  some  corner  or  jar." 

"Oh,  it  is  too  true, 一 it  is  too  true!"  cried  Sun 
Hou.  "Come  with  me,  Nae-Nae.  I  will  boil 
my  daughter  in  oil." 

"Nay,  nay,"  said  Nae-Nae,  believing  him  to  be 
serious, ― "Boil  only  her  hands  therein." 

"Oh,  wicked  snake  of  a  daughter!"  cried  Sun 
Hou,  slapping  his  hands  together  with  great  vio- 
lence. Bang  went  in  the  sides  of  his  lantern, 
and  he  was  fain  to  put  out  the  light. 

"Oh，  little  wolf  of  a  daughter!"  echoed  Nae- 
Nae  ； and  a  similar  action  was  attended  by  a  sim- 
ilar result. 

Sun  Hou  and  his  wife  hurried  back  to  their 
domicile,  and  Fun,  with  their  daughter,  followed, 
when  they  reached  it  they  observed  that  a  window 
was  open  above  ；  but  they  saw  no  person,  and  no 
light. 

"Alas!  alas!"  cried  the  parents,  "our  wicked 
daughter  has  fled.  She  has  gone  away  with  ac- 
cursed Fun.    We  shall  see  her  no  more." 

Sun  Hou  opened  the  door,  and  Nae-Nae  en- 
tered. Sun  Hou  had  not  withdrawn  the  key, 
when  Fun  drew  the  portal  suddenly  together  and 


174  CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


locked  it  on  the  outside  ；  in  doing  so  he  dexter- 
ously contrived  to  lift  up  the  old  gentleman's 
queue,  which  was  caught  in  the  door  as  it  shut. 
Sun  Hou  was  fast  by  his  queue.  His  wife 
sought  in  vain  for  the  means  of  striking  a  light  ； 
the  flints  and  steel  were  not  in  their  places,  and 
she  broke  her  shins  in  the  search.  You  may  im- 
agine the  state  of  wrath  and  indignation  in  which 
Sun  Hou  and  his  wife  passed  the  night. 

"Ho,"  said  Fun  ere  he  left  the  door,  "I  am 
the  particular  friend  of  Fun, ― he  begged  me  to 
serve  him  this  good  turn,  and  the  wine  which  I 
drank  with  him  hath  made  me  merry." 

"Fun,"  screamed  Sun  Hou,  "shall  be  pounded 
in  a  mortar  for  this,  and  the  friend  of  Fun  shall 
be  tied  in  a  sack  of  snakes." 

"Nay,"  answered  Nae-Nae,  "they  shall  laugh 
the  wrong  sides  of  their  noses.  But,  you  foolish, 
old  blockhead,"  said  she,  "  to  be  duped  after  this 
fashion;"  and  she  felt  in  the  dark  for  Sun  Hou's 
ear,  which  she  twisted  severely  when  she  found 
it. 

From  the  time  the  young  gentleman  first  ac- 
costed the  old  one,  poor  Chin  Ting,  who  was  in  a 
mortal  fright,  kept  as  much  out  of  view  as  pos- 
sible. Several  times  she  was  on  the  point  of  con- 
fessing her  fault  and  throwing  herself  upon  the 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  175 


mercy  of  her  father;  but  she  could  not  gain  cour- 
age to  do  so;  and  when  the  door  was  closed,  Fun 
hurried  her  away  as  fast  as  possible.  He  prom- 
ised to  effect  a  reconcilation  with  her  parents, 
if  she  would  become  his  wife  ；  and  having  placed 
her  in  a  sedan,  he  took  her  to  his  house,  where 
many  of  his  friends,  whom  he  had  invited  to  at- 
tend his  wedding  on  the  propitious  evening  of 
the  Feast  of  Lanterns,  had  been  for  some  time 
expecting  them.  At  the  door  they  were  met  by 
some  matrons,  his  relatives,  who  assisted  Chin 
Ting  out  of  her  sedan,  and  lifted  her  over  the 
pan  of  charcoal  placed  at  the  door,  agreeably  to 
the  marriage  custom  in  the  Celestial  dominions. 
They  conducted  her  then  to  a  chamber,  and 
bound  up  her  hair  according  to  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  worn  by  married  women  ；  after  which 
she  was  led  by  a  train  of  young  ladies  into  the 
great  hall,  where  she  was  encouraged  to  invite 
the  guests  to  partake  of  the  prepared  betel  nut. 
Some  other  forms  were  gone  through.  The  most 
extravagant  encomiums  were  passed  upon  her 
beauty :  she  was  compared  to  the  sun,  the  moon, 
and  stars, 一 to  gold  and  silver, ― to  gold  and  sil- 
ver fish, ― to  gold  and  silver  pheasants, 一 to  gems, 
to  flowers,  to  a  dove,  to  an  antelope,  to  the  tea- 
plant,  to  the  graceful  reed,  to  lanterns  and  fire- 


176  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


works, 一 to  silkworms, ~ to  rice.  The  bride- 
groom, too,  was  praised  as  well  as  congratulated  ； 
they  made  him  drink  wine  ；  presents  were  given 
to  both;  they  wished  them  honours,  long  life, 
and  a  quiver  full  of  sons.  And  Chin  Ting  was 
the  wife  of  Fun. 

The  next  morning  Fun  took  his  beautiful  bride 
to  call  upon  her  father.  She  was  disguised  as 
before;  and  when  they  reached  the  house  of  Sun 
Hou,  Fun  at  first  entered  alone,  leaving  her  in 
her  sedan.  Fun  presented  himself  with  his 
wonted  audacity  ；  but  the  fury  of  Sun  Hou  was 
so  great  at  seeing,  as  he  supposed,  the  friend  and 
colleague  of  Fun, ― a  person  towards  whom  he 
had  now  conceived  a  greater  hatred  than  even 
toward  Fun  himself, ― that  our  hero  was  almost 
frightened  away,  without  entering  into  any  ex- 
planation. He,  however,  summoned  up  forti- 
tude, and  kept  bowing  and  bending  with  great 
humility,  whilst  a  storm  of  abuse  was  poured  up- 
on him,  not  from  Sun  Hou  only,  but  also  from 
his  wife  Nae-Nae  ；  and  when  from  mere  fatigue 
of  these  indignant  parties,  the  tempest  a  little  re- 
laxed, he  began  in  the  most  conciliatory  tones  to 
beg  pardon  for  the  unlucky  accident  of  the  pre- 
ceding evening. 

"Son  of  a  rotten  onion!"  cried  Sun  Hou;  "look 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  177 


at  my  queue  ！  I  could  only  liberate  niy  head  by 
the  loss  of  my  queue.  My  domestics  were  obliged 
to  enter  my  house  by  placing  a  ladder  to  the 
window." 

"Your  so-much-dog's-meat  of  a  Fan- Si," 
responded  the  youth,  "hurried  hither  this  morn- 
ing, as  soon  as  he  remembered  his  fault,  to  un- 
lock your  majesty's  door." 

"Wherefore  did  thy  swine-feeding  hand  turn 
the  key  in  it  last  night?"  roared  Sun  Hou. 

"Of  a  truth  your  scrag-end-of-less-than-noth- 
ing  was  beside  himself  with  wine,"  humbly  ejac- 
ulated Fun;  "but  now,  being  of  clearer  sense, 
the  ball  of  evil  which  he  threw  strikes  back  upon 
his  own  nose;  and  that  he  may  find  a  salve  for 
the  soreness  it  occasions,  he  has  brought  hither 
a  string  of  pearls,  which  he  solicits  your  generous 
condescension  to  accept." 

"Be  they  real  pearls?"  said  Sun  Hou,  a  little 
mollified,  as  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to  receive 
them. 

"Nay,  nay,"  interrupted  Nae-Nae,  "I  fear  me 
they  be  not  real." 

"They  be  real  pearls,"  said  Sun  Hou.  "I 
forgive  you  your  floutings  for  this:  but  how  about 
the  loss  of  my  tail?" 

"Your  most  reverence-commanding  tail  will 


178  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


grow  again,"  replied  Fun;  "and  meanwhile  I 
have  other  pearls,  of  which,  with  humility,  I  will 
entreat  your  greatly-to-be-knelt  for  acceptance." 

"It  is  enough,"  said  the  old  man.  "Let  this 
bond  of  pearls  bind  us  to  friendship." 

"And  may  it  never  be  worn  out,"  said  Fun. 

"Or  if  it  should  be,"  answered  Sun  Hou，  "may 
it  be  renewed." 

Having  so  far  succeeded,  Fun  intimated  to  the 
old  gentleman  that  he  had  another  favour  to  re- 
quest ； but  begged,  before  he  mentioned  it,  to  be 
allowed  to  introduce  a  lady  who  was  waiting 
for  him  below  in  her  sedan,  and  who  he  was  afraid 
would  feel  fatigued.  Sun  Hou  bowed  to  this 
with  all  possible  Chinese  politeness,  and  was 
solicitous  to  know  who  the  more  bright-than-ten 
thousand-stars  lady  might  be. 

"To  tell  you  the  truth,"  answered  Fun,  "this 
lady  is  a  bunch  of  lilies  whom  I  but  yesterday 
took  to  wife.  She  is  the  daughter  of  a  highly  re- 
spectable old  gentleman,  for  whom  I  entertain  a 
very  cordial  esteem." 

He  conducted  the  lady  into  the  room.  She 
was  still  closely  veiled.  Fourteen  minutes 
elapsed  in  the  usual  bows  and  compliments. 
Fun  then  announced  the  further  favour  he  had 
to  request  ； ― it  was  a  pardon  to  his  friend  Fun, 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  179 

and   to    Fun's    wife,    Sun    Hou's  daughter. 

"Alas!"  cried  Sun  IIou,  "my  poor  little 
daughter  ！    I  shall  never  see  her  more." 

"If  you  will  graciously  accord  pardon  to  both," 
said  Fun,  "I  will  promise  you  shall  see  her  this 
day." 

"Wicked  Fun,"  said  the  father,  "shall  be  stran- 
gled, beheaded,  poisoned,  flayed,  and  cut  in  nine 
million  pieces." 

"If  your  worshipful  stomach,"  responded  the 
youth, 一 the  old  philosophers  held  that  the  stom- 
ach is  the  seat  of  reason, ― "if  your  worshipful 
stomach  be  so  ill-minded  towards  them,  I  fear 
you  will  never  find  either  Fun  or  your  daughter. 
If  you  should,  Fun,  you  may  be  sure,  will  bribe 
the  mandarins  higher  for  his  safety  than  you  will 
do  to  get  him  punished." 

"Alas!"  exclaimed  Sun  Hou,  "if  I  may  get 
back  my  daughter,  whom,  however,  I  will  well 
bamboo,  I  will  forgive  wicked  Fun." 

"You  must  freely  pardon  your  daughter,  also, 
or  you  will  see  her  no  more,"  responded  the  youth. 

"I  will  do  all  things  so  she  shall  not  be  lost  to 
me  wholly,"  said  the  old  man. 

"But  your  virtuous  and  venerable  hand  will 
furnish  me  with  a  promise  in  writing?"  asked 
Fun. 


180  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


"Anything ― anything  at  all!"  replied  Sun 
Hou. 

So  down  they  sat  and  committed  the  promise 
to  paper.  It  received  the  old  gentleman's  sig- 
nature.   Fun  folded  it  and  put  it  in  his  vest. 

"Most-reverentially-to-be-bowed-before,  sir,  I 
am  Fun,"  said  Fun. 

And  Fun  bowed  lowly  and  twiddled  his  queue. 

"Most-on-my-knees-to-be-honoured,  and  more 
than-my-life-to-be-loved  parents,  I  am  Chin 
Ting,"  said  Chin  Ting. 

And,  bending  reverentially,  Chin  Ting  cast 
back  her  veil. 

The  old  man  raised  his  staff. ― The  young  man 
drew  out  the  bond. ― The  youthful  pair  fell  on 
their  knees,  and  the  aged  pair  embraced  them 
both. 

A  CHINESE  HEKO 

One  of  China's  greatest  heroes  was  Han 
Hsin.  He  lived  in  the  kingdom  of  Chin, 
very  many  centuries  ago.  When  he  was  a  small 
boy  he  showed  remarkable  wisdom,  and,  although 
he  was  very  small  of  stature,  his  teachers  pre- 
dicted a  great  future  for  him. 

One  day,  when  Han  was  only  six  years  old. 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  181 


he  and  another  little  boy  were  playing  ball,  when 
the  ball  came  down  into  the  deep  hole  of  the  mill- 
stones. They  could  not  get  it  out  at  first  and 
the  other  lad  wanted  to  call  for  help.  Little 
Han  Hsin  said,  "No,  I  will  think  of  a  plan." 
Finding  a  long  stick,  he  began  filling  the  hole 
with  earth.  As  he  poured  the  earth  into  the 
hole,  he  kept  stirring  the  ball  around,  thereby 
keeping  it  on  top  of  the  earth  until  he  could 
reach  it  with  his  hand. 

Another  time  he  saw  a  woman,  in  rags,  jump 
into  a  large  earthen  water-barrel.  He  was  not 
strong  enough  to  draw  her  out,  and  no  one  was 
near,  so  he  found  a  stone  and  beat  with  all  his 
strength  on  the  barrel  until  he  made  a  hole  in  it 
near  the  bottom,  and  the  water  running  out,  the 
life  of  the  woman  was  saved.  Many  such 
stories,  and  more  wonderful  ones,  were  told  of 
him,  and  his  fame  spread  all  over  the  kingdom. 

In  those  days  every  prince  had  a  wise  man, 
or  a  group  of  wise  men,  about  him  to  give  him 
advice  regarding  the  affairs  of  his  kingdom. 
Han  Hsin  was  presented  to  his  prince  by  his 
teachers  as  worthy  of  holding  such  a  position, 
but  when  the  prince  and  his  officers  saw  how  small 
he  was,  they  laughed  and  said,  "We  do  not  want 
a  child,"  and  would  not  accept  his  services. 


182  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


Han  Hsin  then  went  and  presented  himself 
at  the  court  of  the  Prince  of  Chin  Chou.  Now, 
this  Prince,  Chin  Pa,  was  noted  for  his  strength. 
It  was  said  of  him  that,  if  he  tried,  he  could 
breathe  the  roof  off  the  house  ；  also  that  he  could 
lift  himself  up  by  the  hair.  When  he  was  small 
he  was  fed  on  the  milk  of  the  tiger.  Thus  his 
strength  was  not  the  strength  of  man. 

When  Han  Hsin  was  presented  to  this  Prince 
by  his  teachers  as  a  wise  man  and  one  who  could 
help  him  make  his  country  strong,  he  laughed 
and  said,  "What  can  such  a  boy  do?  If  I  hold 
out  my  head  and  tell  him  to  cut  it  off  he  has  not 
the  strength  to  do  it,  even  though  I  stand  still 
and  do  not  resist  him.  How  can  there  be  wis- 
dom in  such  a  small  boy?  How  can  such  as  he 
help  me?  He  cannot  fight  for  me  or  wait  on 
me.    Take  away  the  child,  I  do  not  want  him." 

The  teachers  urged  the  Prince  to  give  the 
young  man  a  trial  and  at  last  he  said,  "Here  is 
my  spear ― let  him  hold  it  up  straight  for  half 
a  day.  If  he  is  strong  enough  for  that,  he  may 
find  something  to  do  in  my  service."  Alas! 
Han  Hsin  could  not  even  for  half  an  hour  hold 
up  the  great  iron  spear,  and  he  was  driven  with 
laughter  and  derision  from  the  court. 

When  the  teachers  remonstrated  with  the 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  183 


Prince  he  said,  "I  want  no  such  weaklings  in 
my  kingdom." 

"But  you  have  made  an  enemy  of  him,"  they 
urged,  and  if  you  do  not  use  him,  you  should  kill 
him.  Although  you,  our  Prince,  will  not  be- 
lieve us,  we  know  if  you  let  him  go  he  will,  in 
the  end,  be  used  by  some  other  kingdom  to  de- 
stroy yours."  At  this  Chin  Pa  laughed  loud 
and  long,  but  seeing  the  anxious  and  serious 
faces  of  the  teachers  he  said,  "I  will  take  some 
soldiers  and  go  after  him,  and  if  you  wish  I  will 
kill  him." 

Now  when  Han  Hsin,  in  bitterness  of  heart, 
was  driven  from  the  court  he  took  the  road  lead- 
ing to  the  mountains,  and  was  part  way  up  when, 
chancing  to  look  back,  he  saw  the  mounted  band 
coming.  They  did  not  see  him,  but  he  knew  that 
they  were  in  search  of  him.  He  knew  that  he 
could  not  escape,  so  he  stretched  himself  out  on 
the  side  of  the  hill  with  his  feet  toward  the  top 
and  his  head  toward  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  and 
pretended  that  he  was  asleep. 

When  Chin  Pa  came  up  and  saw  him  there  he 
smiled  to  himself  and  called  to  his  men  to  re- 
mount, and  away  they  went  back  to  the  castle, 
laughing  and  making  merry  over  the  thought 
that  anyone  who  could  sleep  in  such  a  position, 


184  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


ccfuld  rend  the  kingddm  away  from  their  great 
Prince. 

When  the  teachers  heard  of  the  outcome  of 
the  pursuit  of  Han  Hsin  they  were  troubled  and 
said,  "It  is  craft  and  not  stupidity ― go  back 
again,  overtake  him  and  kill,  him."  To  please 
them  and  for  the  sport  of  it,  the  Prince  started 
out  again.  By  this  time  Han  Hsin  had  crossed 
the  mountains  and  was  walking  on  the  plains. 
Again  he  saw  them  coming,  and  looking  about 
he  discovered  a  very  ill-smelling  hole,  and  bend- 
ing over  it  he  exclaimed,  as  his  pursuers  came 
up,  "Ah,  how  sweet,  how  fragrant!" 

This  time  the  Prince  declared  that  Han  Hsin 
was  entirely  foolish,  and  he  would  not  kill  a 
fool,  for  a  man  who  did  not  know  the  difference 
between  the  sweetly  fragrant  and  the  offensive 
was  not  one  a  Prince  need  fear. 

Thus  Han  Hsin  was  left  to  himself,  and  re- 
turned to  his  own  country  and  village.  His  own 
prince,  Han  Kao  Lin,  again  refused  him.  At 
that  time  this  Prince  was  at  war  with  Chin  Pa 
and  was  very  hard  pressed  by  the  latter,  and 
anxious  to  surround  himself  with  wise  men.  He 
could  not  see,  however,  how  there  could  be  wis- 
dom in  such  a  small  man  as  Han  Hsin.  But, 
at  last,  after  much  persuasion,  he  gave  a  reluc- 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  185 


tant  permission  for  him  to  be  made  leader  of  the 
army  which  was  about  to  set  out  to  attack  Chin 
Pa. 

Old  pictures  show  Han  Hsin  seated  on  a 
throne  and  worshipped  by  the  military  men  and 
soldiers  under  him.  They  believed  that  he  was 
to  lead  them  to  victory  and  save  their  country. 
It  is  said  that  he  knew  every  soldier,  and  could 
tell  at  a  glance  how  many  there  were  in  a  com- 
pany passing  before  him  and  who  were  absent 
from  the  ranks.  He  was  one  of  the  greatest 
military  leaders,  if  not  the  greatest,  in  Chinese 
history. 

One  time,  when  engaged  in  war  with  the  King- 
dom of  Cliao,  he  drove  the  enemy  to  the  bank 
of  a  river,  but  they  got  over  in  their  boats  and 
destroyed  them  on  the  other  side.  Feeling  se- 
cure in  the  thought  that  the  army  of  Han  Hsin 
could  not  cross  that  night,  they  made  a  camp  and 
had  a  feast.  But  Han  Hsin  was  not  an  ordinary 
man  and  he  commanded  every  man  to  get  a 
board  of  some  kind  and  in  the  darkness  to  swim 
across  quietly.  This  they  did,  and  fell  upon  the 
merry  camp  and  won  a  great  victory. 

Another  time  Han  Hsin  insisted  on  camping 
on  the  shore  of  the  great  river.  His  officers  and 
men  protested,  and  said  that  he  was  not  leaving 


186  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


any  path  for  retreat  in  case  of  defeat,  as  they 
had  no  ships  or  bridges  and  few  could  swim  so 
far.  All  the  comfort  they  could  get  was  his  re- 
ply, "When  defeat  comes  we  will  discuss  the 
question."  The  enemy  were  seen  coming  upon 
them  from  the  front,  and  then  Han  Hsin  called 
to  his  men  to  fight  for  their  lives,  for  death  was 
certainly  behind  them  in  the  river,  but,  if  they 
fought  bravely,  they  could  defeat  the  enemy  in 
front.    This  they  did  with  great  slaughter. 

At  another  time,  when  fighting  with  the  great 
Chin  Pa,  of  the  Kingdom  of  Chin,  the  latter  shut 
up  all  but  one  of  the  roads  over  the  mountains 
and  awaited  Han  Hsin  in  ambuscade  in  a  very 
narrow  place,  the  only  one  where  it  seemed  pos- 
sible for  him  to  get  over  the  mountains.  He 
did  not  even  then  know  the  military  master  he 
had  to  deal  with  in  Han  Hsin,  as  it  was  still  early 
in  the  war.  Han  Hsin  sent  out  his  spies,  dis- 
guised as  countrymen,  and  learned  the  condition 
of  things.  So,  calling  upon  his  men  to  make 
a  lot  of  bags,  even  turning  their  clothes  into  bags, 
his  army  set  out. 

On  reaching  the  steepest  place  in  ascending 
the  mountains,  he  commanded  the  army  to  halt 
and  fill  the  bags  with  earth.  This  place  was 
not  guarded,  as  it  was  supposed  to  be  impossible 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  187 

of  ascent.  During  the  night,  however,  Han  Hsin 
ordered  an  advance,  and,  using  the  bags  to 
make  a  series  of  steps,  his  army  went  quickly  up 
and  over  to  the  other  side,  to  the  rear  of  Chin 
Pa's  army.  Here  Han  Hsin  attacked  the  en- 
emy in  force  and  easilj^  put  them  to  flight.  Later 
they  recovered  themselves  and  in  many  battles 
afterward  between  these  two  great  generals 
neither  could  obtain  any  great  advantage. 

Now  Han  Hsin  had  a  friend  and  helper  in 
Chang  Lang,  a  literary  man  who  was  wise  and 
safe  to  trust,  and  who  often  helped  him  in  his 
plans.  They  talked  over  the  situation,  and 
Chang  Lang  said  that  the  strength  of  Chin  Pa 
was  in  a  company  of  three  thousand  soldiers  who 
were  all  related  to  each  other,  and  whose  officers 
were  also  of  the  same  clan.  In  some  way  that 
company  must  be  disbanded  or  Han  Hsin  never 
would  win  the  final  victory.  Many  plans  were 
formed,  but  the  soldiers  of  the  clan  seemed  to 
possess  charmed  lives. 

At  last  Chang  Lang  came  one  night  to  the 
tent  of  Han  Hsin  and  said,  "I  have  found  a  way, 
and,  as  there  is  a  fine  wind  and  it  is  on  the  eve  of 
battle,  I  will  try  my  new  scheme."  He  then  pro- 
duced a  large  kite,  the  first  ever  made,  and  dis- 
closed his  plan.    All  these  years  Han  Hsin  had 


188  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


remembered  how  Chin  Pa  had  laughed  at  his 
small  stature,  but  he  was  that  night  to  show  him 
that  though  small,  he  was  formidable  as  an  en- 
emy. 

Some  of  his  officers  were  called  in  and  fast- 
ened him  by  ropes  to  the  kite  and  then  let  go. 
Gradually  the  kite  ascended,  and,  in  the  twilight, 
appeared  high  over  the  camp  of  the  three  thou- 
sand soldiers.  They  were  filled  with  terror,  for 
never  before  had  such  a  thing  been  seen  or  heard 
of.  It  was  dark  enough  to  prevent  them  from 
seeing  Han  Hsin  at  the  height  and  distance  he 
was  from  them.  The  kite  came  to  rest  for  a  few 
moments,  and  they  heard  a  voice  say,  "You  all 
have  old  and  young  in  your  homes.  Why  do  you 
not  go  home  to  them?  If  you  stay  on,  you  will 
some  day  all  be  killed  ；  then  who  will  worship  at 
the  grave  of  your  fathers  and  hand  down  the 
name?" 

The  men  said,  "It  is  a  voice  of  a  god,  a  warn- 
ing, let  us  depart  at  once,"  and  that  night  they 
left  the  camp. 

The  battle  next  day  was  terrific,  but  in  the  end 
Han  Hsin  won  a  great  victory.  When  urged 
to  kill  his  old  enemy  he  said,  "No,  let  him  go, 
for  he  will  kill  himself,  and  that  will  be  better." 
So,  Chin  Pa  was  set  at  liberty  and  started  with 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  189 


his  army  to  return  south.  The  battle  had  been 
near  a  river  and  Han  Hsin  knew  that  Chin  Pa 
must  cross  it  on  his  retreat.  So,  before  the 
battle  was  fought,  Han  Hsin  had  written,  in 
honey,  on  a  big  stone  slab  near  the  ford,  these 
four  words.  "Heaven  Destroy  Hsiang  Yi." 
The  last  two  words  were  Chin  Pa's  name.  A 
swarm  of  ants  scenting  the  honey  crawled  up 
to  eat  it,  and  thus  outlined  the  characters  very 
distinctly. 

When  Chin  Pa  came  over  the  river  and  saw 
the  stone  with  the  four  large  characters  he  said, 
"Woe  is  me,  even  the  worms  and  ants  know  that 
Heaven  has  deserted  me.  I  will  kill  myself." 
And  then  and  there,  almost  in  sight  of  his  ad- 
versary, the  man  he  had  regarded  with  contempt, 
he  killed  himself. 

Thus  ended  a  strife  of  nearly  twenty  years 
between  two  kingdoms,  and  Han  Hsin  came  to 
be  the  Prince  of  his  kingdom.  Often  during  the 
time  of  kite-flying  in  China,  away  in  the  heavens 
one  sees  a  kite  in  the  shape  of  an  old-time  war- 
rior, and  few  of  the  many  beautiful  and  fancy 
kites  to  be  seen  have  such  an  interesting  story. 
The  kite  has  come  to  be,  in  Western  lands, 
merely  an  amusement,  but  in  China,  where  it 
was  probably  invented,  it  ever  carries  with  the 


190  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 

message,  "Strength  of  mind  is  greater  than 
strength  of  body." 

THE  WILD  GOOSE  AND  THE 
SPARROW 

The  great  Chinese  sage,  Confucius,  had  a 
son-in-law,  Kung  Yeh  Chang,  who  understood 
better  than  any  one  before  or  since  his  day  the 
habit  of  birds.  So  much  time  and  study  did  he 
give  to  them  that  tradition  says  he  understood 
all  bird  language  and  many  stories  are  told  of 
him  in  this  connection.  He  built  a  beautiful 
pavilion  in  his  garden,  which  was  rich  in  flowers, 
trees,  shrubs,  and  ponds,  so  that  the  birds  loved 
to  gather  there  ；  thus  he  was  able  to  spend  many 
delightful  hours  in  their  company  listening  to 
their  wise  and  unwise  talk. 

Many  of  these  conversations  have  been  handed 
down  the  past  two  thousand  years  in  the  wonder- 
ful folklore  of  China,  and  from  these  one  can 
see  the  influence  they  have  had  on  the  customs 
and  traditions  of  the  people. 

Among  the  Chinese  the  wild  goose  has  the 
reputation  for  having  more  virtues  and  wisdom 
than  any  other  bird.  This  is  brought  out  in  the 
following  story.    One  day,  while  Kung  Yeh 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  191 


Chang  was  resting  in  his  pavilion,  a  small  house- 
sparrow  lit  in  a  tree  near-by  and  commenced 
singing  and  chattering.  A  little  later  a  wild 
goose  dropped  down  by  the  pond  for  a  drink. 
Hardly  had  he  taken  a  sip  when  the  little  spar- 
row called  out,  "Who  are  you?  Where  are  you 
going?"  To  this  the  goose  did  not  reply  and  the 
sparrow  became  angry  and  asked  again,  "Who 
are  you,  that  you  should  be  so  proud  and  lofty 
you  cannot  pay  attention  to  my  questions  ？  Why 
do  you  consider  me  beneath  your  notice?"  and 
still  the  goose  did  not  answer.  Then,  indeed, 
was  the  little  sparrow  furious.  In  a  loud,  shrill 
voice,  he  said,  "Every  one  listens  to  me!  Again 
I  ask,  who  are  you  with  your  lofty  airs?  Tell 
me  or  I  will  fly  at  you,"  and  he  put  his  head  up, 
and  spread  his  wings,  and  tried  to  look  very 
large  and  fierce. 

By  this  time  the  goose  had  finished  drinking, 
and  looking  up  he  said,  "Don't  you  know  that  in 
a  big  tree  with  many  branches  and  large  leaves 
the  cicadas  love  to  gather  and  make  a  noise? 
I  could  not  hear  you  distinctly.  You  also  know 
the  saying  of  the  Ancients,  'If  you  stand  on  a 
mountain  and  talk  to  the  people  in  the  valley 
they  cannot  hear  you,'  "  and  the  wild  goose  took 
another  drink. 


192  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


How  the  little  sparrow  chattered  and  sput- 
tered, shook  his  wings,  and  at  last  said,  "In  what 
way  are  you,  with  your  long  neck  and  short 
tail,  better  than  I?  In  what  is  your  value 
greater?  Tell  me,  and  if  you  can  prove  it  you 
shall  be  my  teacher.  What,  for  instance,  do  you 
know  of  the  great  world  ？  Now  I  can  go  into 
people's  houses,  hide  in  the  rafters  under  their 
windows,  see  their  books  and  pictures,  what  they 
have  to  eat  and  what  they  do.  I  can  hear  all 
the  family  secrets,  know  all  that  goes  on  in  the 
family  and  state.  I  know  who  are  happy  and 
who  are  sad.  I  know  all  the  quarrels  and  all  the 
gossip.  All  the  other  birds  are  glad  to  see  me 
because  I  can  tell  them  the  latest  news,  and  I 
know  just  how  to  tell  it  to  produce  the  best  effect. 
So  you  see  that  I  know  much  that  you,  with 
your  great  stupid  body,  can  never  hope  to 
know." 

"We  consider,"  said  the  wild  goose,  "that  the 
highest  law  of  virtue  and  good  is  to  give  others 
an  equal  chance  with  ourselves,  or  even  to  give 
them  the  first  choice.  Because  of  this  we  always 
fly  either  in  the  shape  of  the  character  'Man,' 
or  the  figure  one.  No  one  takes  advantage  of 
the  other.  We  believe  in  the  'Three  Bonds,' 
i.  e.，  Prince  and  Minister,  Husband  and  Wife, 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  193 


Father  and  Son.  Also  in  the  five  virtues, 一 
Benevolence,  Righteousness,  Propriety,  Knowl- 
edge, and  Truth.  With  us,  if  the  male  bird  dies, 
the  female  flies  alone  ；  if  the  female  dies  the  male 
flies  alone  ；  if  both  parents  die  their  young  fly 
alone  for  three  years.  We  have  our  unchanging 
customs  of  going  north  in  the  spring  and  south 
in  the  winter.  People  come  to  depend  on  us, 
and  make  ready  for  either  their  spring  work  or 
the  cold  of  winter.  Thus,  while  we  have  not 
known  the  family  or  state  skeletons  and  the 
gossip  of  the  women  and  servants,  we  are  a  help 
to  man. 

"Now,  you  have  no  laws  binding  you.  As  a 
family,  you  sparrows  are  selfish  ；  you  gossip, 
chatter,  steal,  and  drive  away  every  one  else, 
only  thinking  of  your  own  good.  Even  among 
yourselves  you  quarrel.  Because  of  these  things 
you  are  treated  with  contempt  and  looked  lightly 
upon  by  all.  Indeed,  so  much  so  that  you  are  a 
by-word.  Now,  we  are  respected  and  held  up 
as  models.  Do  you  not  hear  parents  and 
teachers  tell  their  children  and  scholars  to  come 
and  go  quietly  by  themselves  to  and  from  school; 
to  go  straight  ahead  without  looking  to  the  right 
or  left  ；  not  to  gather  in  groups  and  chatter  like 
house-sparrows  ？    Do  not  the  respectable  people 


194  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


do  the  same  on  the  street  and  in  the  house  ？  Is 
there  not  a  proverb  that  'There  are  many  people 
without  the  wisdom  and  virtues  of  the  wild 
goose'?  You  do,  indeed,  chatter  about  small 
affairs  like  foolish  women  and  girls  and  thus  are 
beneath  my  notice  and  I  bid  you  good-day." 

All  this  time  the  poor  little  sparrow  was 
trembling  with  rage,  and  so  great  was  it  that 
she  could  not  fly  away  nor  keep  her  hold  on 
the  branch  of  the  tree,  and  so  she  fell  to  the 
ground,  and  thus  she  died. 

Kung  Yeh  Chang  exclaimed  as  he  looked  at 
her  and  then  at  the  goose  away  in  the  distance, 
"Ai  ya  (sad,  sad) ,  most  of  mankind  are  like  the 
sparrow,  but  the  truly  superior  man  will  be  like 
the  wild  goose  and  follow  the  rules  of  the  Three 
Bonds  and  Five  Virtues." 

THE  COUNTRY  OF  GENTLEMEN 

More  than  a  thousand  years  ago  there  lived 
an  Empress  of  China,  who  was  a  very  bold  and 
obstinate  woman.  She  thought  she  was  powerful 
enough  to  do  anything.  One  day,  she  even  gave 
orders,  that  every  kind  of  flower  throughout  the 
country  was  to  be  out  in  full  bloom  on  a  certain 
day.    Being  a  woman  herself,  she  thought  that 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  193 


women  would  govern  the  empire  much  better 
than  men;  so  she  actually  had  examinations  for 
women  and  gave  them  all  the  important  posts. 
This  made  a  great  many  men  extremely  angry  ； 
especially  a  young  man  named  Tang,  who  was 
very  clever  and  had  taken  many  prizes.  He  said 
he  couldn't  live  in  such  a  country  any  more  ；  and 
sailed  away  with  an  uncle  of  his  and  another 
friend  on  a  long  voyage  to  distant  parts  of  the 
world.  They  visited  many  extraordinary 
nations  ；  in  one  of  which,  the  people  all  had  heads 
of  dogs  ；  in  another,  they  flew  about  like  birds  ；  in 
another,  they  had  enormously  long  arms  with 
which  they  reached  down  into  the  water  to  catch 
fish.  Then  there  was  the  country  of  tall  men, 
where  everybody  was  about  twenty  feet  in  height ; 
the  country  of  dwarfs  where  the  people  were 
only  one  foot  in  height,  and  their  funny  little 
children  were  not  more  than  four  inches.  In 
another  place,  the  people  all  had  large  holes 
in  the  middle  of  their  bodies  ；  and  rich  persons 
were  carried  about  by  servants  who  pushed  long 
sticks  through  the  holes.  After  a  time,  they 
came  to  a  land  which  they  were  told  was  the 
Country  of  Gentlemen.  They  went  ashore,  and 
walked  out  to  the  capital.  There  they  found  the 
people  buying  and  selling,  and  strange  to  say 


196  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


they  were  all  talking  the  Chinese  language.  They 
also  noticed  that  everybody  was  very  polite,  and 
the  foot-passengers  in  the  streets  were  very  care- 
ful to  step  aside  and  make  room  for  one  another. 
In  the  market-place  they  saw  a  man  who  was 
buying  things  at  a  shop.  Holding  the  things 
in  his  hand,  the  man  was  saying  to  the  shop- 
keeper, "My  dear  sir,  I  really  cannot  take  these 
excellent  goods  at  the  absurdly  low  price  you 
are  asking.  If  you  will  oblige  me  by  doubling 
the  amount,  I  shall  do  myself  the  honour  of  buy- 
ing them;  otherwise  I  shall  know  for  certain  that 
you  do  not  wish  to  do  business  with  me  today." 
The  shopkeeper  replied,  "Excuse  me,  sir,  I  am 
already  very  much  ashamed  at  having  asked  you 
so  much  for  these  goods;  they  really  are  not 
worth  more  than  half.  If  you  insist  upon  pay- 
ing such  a  high  price,  I  must  really  beg  you,  with 
all  possible  respect,  to  go  and  buy  in  some  other 
shop."  At  this,  the  man  who  wanted  to  buy 
got  rather  angry,  and  said  that  trade  could  not 
be  carried  on  at  all  if  all  the  profit  was  on  one 
side  and  all  the  loss  on  the  other,  adding  that  the 
shopkeeper  was  not  going  to  catch  him  in  a  trap 
like  that.  After  a  lot  more  talk,  he  put  down 
the  full  price  on  the  counter,  but  only  took  half 
the  things.    Of  course  the  shopkeeper  would  not 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  197 


agree  to  this,  and  they  would  have  gone  on  argu- 
ing forever  had  not  two  old  gentlemen  who  hap- 
pened to  be  passing  stepped  aside  and  arranged 
the  matter  for  them  by  deciding  that  the  pur- 
chaser was  to  pay  the  full  price  but  only  to  re- 
ceive three-quarters  of  the  goods.  Tong  heard 
this  sort  of  thing  going  on  at  every  shop  he 
passed.  It  was  alwaj^s  the  buyer  who  wanted  to 
give  as  much  as  possible,  and  the  seller  to  take  as 
little.  In  one  case  the  shopkeeper  called  after 
a  customer  who  was  hurrying  away  with  the 
goods  he  had  bought  and  said,  "Sir,  sir,  you 
have  paid  me  too  much,  you  have  paid  me  too 
much."  "Pray  don't  mention  it,"  replied  the 
customer,  "but  oblige  me  by  keeping  the  money 
fcr  another  day  when  I  come  again  to  buy  some 
more  of  your  excellent  goods."  "No,  no,"  an- 
swered the  shopkeeper,  "you  don't  catch  old  birds 
with  chaff  ；  that  trick  was  played  upon  me  last 
year  by  a  gentleman  who  left  some  money  with 
me,  and  to  this  day  I  have  never  set  eyes  upon 
him  again  though  I  have  tried  all  I  can  to  find 
out  where  he  lives."  But  soon  they  had  to  say 
good-bye  to  this  wonderful  country  and  started 
once  more  upon  their  voyage.  They  next  came 
to  a  very  strange  land  where  the  people  did  not 
walk  but  moved  about  upon  small  clouds  of  dif- 


198  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


ferent  colours,  about  half  a  foot  from  the  ground. 
Meeting  with  an  old  priest,  who  seemed  rather 
a  queer  man,  Tang  asked  him  to  be  kind  enough 
to  explain  the  meaning  of  the  little  clouds  upon 
which  the  people  rode.  "Ah  sir,"  said  the  priest, 
"these  clouds  show  what  sort  of  a  heart  is  inside 
the  persons  who  are  riding  on  them.  People 
can't  choose  their  own  colours  ；  clouds  striped 
like  a  rainbow  are  the  best  ；  yellow  are  the  second 
best,  and  black  are  the  worst  of  all."  Thanking 
the  old  man,  they  passed  on  and  among  those 
who  were  riding  on  clouds  of  green,  red,  blue 
and  other  colours,  they  saw  a  dirty  beggar  riding 
on  a  striped  cloud.  They  were  much  astonished 
at  this  because  the  old  priest  had  told  them  that 
the  striped  cloud  was  the  best.  "I  see  why  that 
was,"  said  Tang,  "the  old  rascal  had  a  striped 
cloud  himself."  Just  then  the  people  in  the 
street  began  to  fall  back,  le'aving  a  passage  in 
the  middle  ；  and  by  and  by  they  saw  a  very 
grand  officer  pass  along  in  great  state  with  a 
long  procession  of  servants  carrying  red  umbrel- 
las, gongs,  and  other  things.  They  tried  to  see 
what  colour  his  cloud  was,  but  to  their  disappoint- 
ment it  was  covered  up  with  a  curtain  of  red 
silk.  "Oho!"  said  Tang,  "this  gentleman  has 
evidently  got  such  a  bad  colour  for  his  cloud  that 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  199 

he  is  ashamed  to  let  it  be  seen.  I  wish  we  had 
clouds  like  these  in  our  country  so  that  we  could 
tell  good  people  from  bad  by  just  looking  at 
them.  I  don't  think  there  would  be  so  many 
wicked  men  about  then."  Soon  after  this,  news 
reached  them  that  the  Empress  who  had  been  so 
troublesome  in  their  own  country  had  been 
obliged  to  give  up  the  throne.  So  they  went 
no  further  on  their  travels  but  turned  their  ship 
round  towards  home,  where  their  families  were 
very  glad  to  see  them  again. 

CONTENTMENT  IN  HUMBLENESS 

One  day,  an  old  priest  stopped  at  a  wayside 
inn  to  rest,  spread  out  his  mat,  and  sat  down 
his  bag.  Soon  afterwards,  a  young  fellow  of  the 
neighbourhood  also  arrived  at  the  inn;  he  was  a 
farm-labourer  and  wore  short  clothes,  not  a  long 
robe  like  the  priest  and  men  who  read  books.  He 
took  a  seat  near  to  the  priest  and  the  two  were 
soon  laughing  and  talking  together.  By  and  by, 
the  young  man  cast  a  glance  at  his  own  rough 
dress  and  said  with  a  sigh,  "See,  what  a  miserable 
wretch  I  am."  "You  seem  to  be  well  fed  and 
healthy  enough,"  replied  the  priest  ；  "why  in  the 
middle  of  our  pleasant  chat  do  you  suddenly  com- 


200  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


plain  of  being  a  miserable  wretch?"  "What 
pleasure  can  I  find,"  retorted  the  young  man,  "in 
this  life  of  mine,  working  every  day  as  I  do  from 
early  morn  to  late  at  night  ？  I  should  like  to  be 
a  great  general  and  win  battles,  or  to  be  a  rich 
man  and  have  fine  food  and  wine,  and  listen  to 
good  music,  or  to  be  a  great  man  at  court  and 
help  our  Emperor  and  bring  prosperity  to  my 
family  ； ― that  is  what  I  call  pleasure.  I  want  to 
rise  in  the  world,  but  here  I  am  a  poor  farm- 
labourer  ； if  you  don't  call  that  miserable  wretch- 
edness, what  is  it?"  He  then  began  to  get 
sleepy,  and  while  the  landlord  was  cooking  a  dish 
of  millet-porridge,  the  priest  took  a  pillow  out  of 
his  bag  and  said  to  the  young  man,  "Lay  your 
head  on  this  and  all  your  wishes  will  be  granted." 
The  pillow  was  made  of  porcelain  ；  it  was  round 
like  a  tube,  and  open  at  each  end.  When  the 
young  man  put  his  head  down  towards  the  pillow, 
one  of  the  openings  seemed  so  large  and  bright 
inside  that  he  got  in,  and  soon  found  himself 
at  his  own  home.  Shortly  afterwards  he  married 
a  beautiful  girl,  and  began  to  make  money.  He 
now  wore  fine  clothes  and  spent  his  time  in  study. 
In  the  following  year  he  passed  his  examination 
and  was  made  a  magistrate  ；  and  in  two  or  three 
years  he  had  risen  to  be  Prime  Minister.    For  a 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  201 


long  time  the  Emperor  trusted  him  in  everything, 
but  the  day  came  when  he  got  into  trouble  ；  he 
was  accused  of  treason  and  sentenced  to  death. 
He  was  taken  with  several  other  criminals  to  the 
place  of  execution  ；  he  was  made  to  kneel  on  both 
knees,  and  the  executioner  approached  with  his 
sword.  Too  terrified  to  feel  the  blow,  he  opened 
his  eyes,  to  find  himself  in  the  inn.  There  was 
the  priest  with  his  head  on  his  bag;  and  there 
was  the  landlord  still  stirring  the  porridge,  which 
was  not  quite  ready.  After  eating  his  meal  in 
silence,  he  got  up  and  bowing  to  the  priest,  said, 
"I  thank  you,  sir,  for  the  lesson  you  have  taught 
me;  I  know  now  what  it  means  to  be  a  great 
man!"  With  that,  he  took  his  leave  and  went 
back  to  his  work. 

MONKEY  THAT  BECAME  KING 

Long,  long  ago,  on  the  top  of  a  mountain 
called  the  Flower-and-Fruit  Mountain,  there  lay- 
all  by  itself  a  square-shaped  stone  egg.  No  one 
knew  what  bird  had  laid  it,  or  how  it  had  got 
there  ；  no  one  ever  saw  it,  for  there  was  nobody 
there  to  see.  The  egg  lay  all  by  itself  on  some 
green  grass,  until  one  day  it  split  with  a  crack, 
and  out  came  a  stone  monkey,  a  monkey  whose 


202  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


body  was  of  shining  polished  stone.  Before  long, 
this  wonderful  stone  monkey  was  surrounded  by 
a  crowd  of  monkeys  and  other  animals,  chatter- 
ing to  one  another  as  hard  as  they  could.  By 
anfd  by  they  seemed  to  have  settled  something  in 
their  minds,  and  one  of  them  came  forward  and 
asked  the  stone  monkey  to  be  their  king.  This 
post  he  accepted  at  once,  having  indeed  already 
thrown  out  hints  that  he  thought  himself  quite 
fit  to  rule  over  them. 

Soon  after  this,  he  determined  to  travel  in 
search  of  wisdom,  and  to  see  the  world.  He  went 
down  the  mountain,  until  he  came  to  the  sea- 
shore, where  he  made  himself  a  raft,  and  sailed 
away.  Reaching  the  other  side  of  the  grate 
ocean,  he  found  his  way  to  the  abode  of  a  famous 
magician,  and  persuaded  the  magician  to  teach 
him  all  kinds  of  magical  tricks.  He  learned 
to  make  himself  invisible,  to  fly  up  into  the  srky, 
and  to  jump  many  miles  at  a  single  jump.  At 
last  he  began  to  think  himself  better  and  stronger 
than  anybody  else,  and  determined  to  make  him- 
self Lord  of  the  Sky. 

"Have  you  heard  of  the  new  "Monkey  King?" 
said  the  Dragon  prince  to  the  Lord  Buddha  one 
day,  as  they  were  sitting  together  in  the  palace 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  203 


of  the  sky.  "No,"  answered  the  Lord  Buddha. 
"What  is  there  to  hear  about  him?"  "He  has 
been  doing  a  lot  of  mischief,"  replied  the  Dragon 
prince.  He  has  learnt  all  kinds  of  magical  tricks, 
and  knows  more  than  anybody  else  in  the  whole 
world.  He  now  means  to  turn  the  Lord  of  the 
Sky  out  of  his  place,  and  be  Lord  of  the  Sky  him- 
self. I  promised  I  would  ask  you  to  help  us 
against  this  impudent  stone  monkey.  If  you 
will  be  good  enough  to  do  so,  I  feel  sure  we 
should  conquer  him."  The  Lord  Buddha 
promised  to  do  his  best,  and  the  two  went  together 
to  the  cloud  palace  of  the  Lord  of  the  Sky,  where 
they  found  the  stone  monkey  misbehaving  him- 
self, and  insulting  everybody  who  dared  to  inter- 
fere with  him.  The  Lord  Buddha  stepped  for- 
ward, and  in  a  quiet  voice  said  to  him,  "What  do 
you  want?"  "I  want,"  answered  the  stone 
monkey,  "to  be  Lord  of  the  Sky.  I  could 
manage  things  much  better  than  they  are 
managed  now.  See  how  I  can  jump."  Then 
the  stone  monkey  jumped  a  big  jump.  In  a 
moment  he  was  out  of  sight,  and  in  another 
moment  he  was  back  again.  "Can  you  do  that?" 
he  asked  the  Lord  Buddha;  at  which  the  Lord 
Buddha  only  smiled  and  said,  "I  will  make  a 
bargain  with  you.    You  shall  come  outside  the 


204  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


palace  with  me  and  stand  upon  my  hand.  Then, 
if  you  can  jump  out  of  my  hand,  you  shall  be 
Lord  of  the  Sky,  as  you  wish  to  be;  but  if  you 
cannot  jump  out  of  my  hand,  you  shall  be  sent 
down  to  earth,  and  never  be  allowed  to  come  up 
to  the  sky  any  more."  The  stone  monkey 
laughed  loudly  when  he  heard  this,  and  said, 
"Jump  out  of  your  hand,  Lord  Buddha  ！  Why 
of  course  I  can  easily  do  that."  So  they  went 
outside  the  palace,  and  the  Lord  Buddha  put 
down  his  hand,  and  the  stone  monkey  stepped  on 
to  it.  He  then  gave  one  great  jump,  and  again 
he  was  away  far  out  of  sight.  On  and  on  he 
went  in  his  jump,  until  he  came  to  the  end  of 
the  earth.  There  he  stopped;  and  while  he  was 
chuckling  to  himself  that  he  would  soon  be  Lord 
of  the  Sky,  he  caug^it  sight  of  five  great  red  pil- 
lars standing  on  the  very  edge  with  nothing  but 
empty  space  beyond  ；  and  now  he  thought  he 
would  leave  a  mark  to  show  how  far  he  had  really 
jumped.  So  he  scratched  a  mark  on  one  of  the 
pillars,  meaning  to  bring  the  Lord  Buddha  there 
to  see  it  for  himself.  When  he  had  done  this, 
he  took  another  big  jump,  and  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye  he  was  back  again  in  the  Lord  Bud- 
dha's hand.  "When  are  yon  going  to  begin  to 
jump?"  the  Lord  Buddha  asked,  as  the  monkey 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  205 


stepped  down  on  to  the  ground.  "When!"  cried 
the  monkey  sarcastically.  "Why,  I  have  jumped, 
一 jumped  to  the  very  end  of  the  earth.  If  you 
want  to  know  how  far  I  have  been,  you  have  only 
to  get  on  my  back,  and  I'll  take  you  there  to  see. 
There  are  five  red  pillars  there,  and  I've  left  a 
mark  on  one  of  them."  "Look  here,  monkey,'* 
the  Lord  Buddha  said,  holding  out  his  hand. 
"Look  at  this."  The  stone  monkey  looked.  On 
one  of  the  fingers  of  the  Lord  Buddha's  hand 
there  was  the  very  mark  which  he  himself  had 
made  on  the  red  pillar.  "You  see,"  said  the 
Lord  Buddha;  "the  whole  world  lies  in  my  hand. 
You  could  never  have  jumped  out  of  it.  When 
you  jumped,  and  thought  you  were  out  of  sight, 
my  hand  was  under  you  all  the  time.  No  one, 
not  even  a  stone  monkey,  can  ever  get  beyond  my 
reach.  TsTow  go  down  to  earth,  and  learn  to  keep 
your  proper  place." 

THE  TAOIST'S  GARDEN. 

In  ancient  times  there  lived  a  retired  Taoist 
scholar  whose  name  was  Hsuan-wei.  He  never 
married,  but  dwelt  alone,  yet  his  companions 
were  books,  and  flowers  his  little  friends.  If  he 
had  any  enemies,  they  were  frost  and  wind  and 


206  CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


blight  and  mildew.  Three  seasons  brought  him 
joy  and  one  sorrow.  Love  to  him  meant  the 
gentle  opening  of  rose-petals,  and  death  their 
fall.  The  neighbours  never  troubled  about  him, 
for  how  could  there  be  scandal  between  a  man 
and  flowers  ？  No  woman  ever  plundered  his 
garden  and  desecrated  his  Temple  of  Abiding 
Peace.  In  fine,  he  was  the  happiest  man  that 
ever  lived. 

Then  something  came  to  pass.  It  was  "blue 
night,"  and  the  garden  never  looked  whiter  under- 
neath the  moon.  And  every  tree  melted  the 
spirit  of  a  tree  peering  between  its  luminous 
leaves.  The  Wu  t'lmg  whispered  to  the  maple, 
and  the  maple  passed  the  story  round  to  the 
mountain  pine  of  the  phoenix  that  augustly  con- 
descended to  rest  in  its  branches ― some  long-for- 
gotten spring.  Only  the  old  willow  stood  apart 
and  said  nothing,  for  the  willow  is  a  wizard,  and 
the  older  he  gets  the  more  crabbed  and  silent  he 
becomes. 

The  owner  of  the  garden  stood  spell-bound 
in  the  moonlight.  Suddenly  a  blue  shadow  flit- 
ted shyly  from  among  the  flowers  and  a  lady  in 
a  long  robe  of  palest  blue  came  towards  him  and 
bowed.  "I  live  not  far  from  here,"  said  she, 
"and  in  passing  to  visit  my  August  Aunt  I  felt 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  207 


a  longing  to  rest  in  your  beautiful  garden." 

The  wondering  philospher  stammered  his  con- 
sent, and  instantly  a  band  of  pretty  girls  ap- 
peared, some  carrying  flowers  and  some  willow 
boughs.  According  to  etiquette  an  introduc- 
tion became  necessary. 

Then  a  girl  in  green  announced  herself :  "I 
am  called  Aspen,"  and,  pointing  to  a  girl  in 
white,  "her  name  is  Plum,"  to  one  in  purple, 
"she  is  called  Peach,"  and  so  she  went  on  till  the 
last,  a  little  maid  in  crimson,  who  was  called 
Pomegranate.  The  Lady  Wind,  who,  she  ex- 
plained, was  their  maternal  Aunt  eighteen  times 
removed,  had  promised  them  a  visit  which  for 
some  reason  she  had  delayed.  As  tonight's  moon 
was  unusually  bright,  they  had  decided  to  visit 
her  instead.  Just  at  that  instant  the  Lady  Wind 
was  announced,  and,  with  a  great  fluttering  of 
many-coloured  silks,  the  girls  trooped  out  to 
greet  her  and  one  and  all  implored  her  to  stay 
with  them  in  the  garden.  Meanwhile,  Mr. 
Hsuan-wei  had  discreetly  retired  into  the  shadow. 
But  when  the  August  Aunt  asked  who  the 
owner  was  he  stepped  boldly  into  the  moonlight 
and  saw  a  lady  of  surpassing  grace  with  a  cer- 
tain gauzy  floating  appearance  like  gossamer. 
But  her  words  chilled  him,  for  they  were  like 


208  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


the  cold  breath  stirring  the  leaves  of  a  black  for- 
est, and  so  he  shivered.  However,  with  the  true 
politeness  of  a  Chinese  host,  he  invited  her  into 
his  contemptible  Pavilion  of  Abiding  Peace, 
where  he  was  astonished  to  find  a  magnificent 
banquet  already  prepared. 

So  they  feasted  and  sang,  and  I  am  sorry  to 
say  that  many  cups  went  round,  and  the  Lady 
Wind  became  both  critical  and  extravagant. 
She  condemned  two  unfortunate  singers  to  pay 
forfeit  by  drinking  a  full  goblet  apiece,  but  her 
hands  shook  so  as  she  held  the  goblets  out  that 
they  slipped  from  her  grasp  and  fell  with  a  crash 
to  the  floor.  And  much  wine  was  spilled  over 
poor  little  Pomegranate,  who  had  appeared  for 
the  first  time  in  her  new  embroidered  crimson 
robe.  Pomegranate,  being  a  girl  of  spirit,  was 
naturally  annoyed,  and,  telling  her  sisters  they 
could  court  their  Aunt  themselves,  she  blushed 
herself  off. 

The  Lady  Wind,  in  a  great  rage,  cried  out 
that  she  had  been  insulted,  and,  though  they  all 
tried  to  calm  her,  she  gathered  her  robe 
about  her  and  out  of  the  door  she  flew  off  hiss- 
ing to  the  east.  Then  all  the  girls  came  before 
their  flower  philosopher  and  bowed  and  swayed 
sorrowfully  and  said  farewell,  and,  floating 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  209 


through  the  portals,  vanished  into  the  white  par- 
terres around  ；  and  when  Mr.  Hsuan-wei  looked, 
lo,  the  Temple  of  Abiding  Peace  was  empty  as 
all  temples  of  its  kind  should  be.  And  he  sat 
down  to  wonder  if  it  was  a  dream.  For  every 
trace  of  the  feast  was  gone  and  yet  a  faint  subtle 
fragrance  lingered  as  though  some  gracious  and 
flowerlike  presence  had  once  been  a  guest. 

Next  night,  when  strolling  in  his  garden,  he 
was  suddenly  surrounded  by  his  little  friends. 
They  were  all  busy  discussing  the  conduct  of 
Pomegranate  and  urging  her  to  apologise  to  the 
August  Aunt  eighteen  times  removed.  It  was 
evident  that  they  went  in  fear  of  her  since  last 
night's  unfortunate  revel.  But  little  red  Pome- 
granate would  have  no  truck  with  Aunt  Wind, 
who  had  spoilt  her  nice  new  robe.  "Here  is  one 
who  will  protect  us  from  any  harm,"  she  cried, 
pointing  to  the  surrounded  form  of  Mi'.  Hsuan- 
wei.  So  they  told  him  how  each  year  they  were 
injured  by  spiteful  gales  and  how  Aunt  Wind 
had  to  some  extent  protected  them. 

Mr.  Hsuan-wei  was  sorely  puzzled:  "How 
can  this  contemptible  one  afford  protection?"  he 
asked.  Pomegranate  explained.  It  was  such  a 
very  little  thing  required  of  him 一 just  to  pre- 
pare a  crimson  flag  embroidered  with  sun,  moon, 


210  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


and  stars  in  gold  and  hoist  it  east  of  the  garden 
at  dawn  on  the  first  morning  of  each  new  year, 
then  all  hurricanes  would  pass  them  by.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  promised,  and  the  next  day  saw 
him  stitching  golden  stars  on  a  crimson  back- 
ground. And  he  rose  early,  an  hour  before  the 
dawn,  upon  the  appointed  day  and  set  his  flag 
duly  towards  the  east  in  the  breath  of  a  light  east 
wind.  Suddenly  a  great  storm  gathered  and 
broke.  The  world  rocked.  The  air  was  dark 
with  flying  stones  and  whirling  dust.  The 
giants  of  the  forest  cracked,  others  were  over- 
whelmed. But  in  ISIr.  Hsuan-wei's  garden  there 
was  a  deep  calm.  Not  a  flower  stirred.  Then 
in  a  flash  he  understood.  His  little  friends  whom 
he  had  saved  from  destruction  were  the  souls  of 
his  little  flowers.  That  night,  when  the  moon 
was  midway,  they  came  to  him  with  garlands  of 
peach  and  plum  blossom  whose  taste  conferred 
the  beauty  of  everlasting  youth.  Mr.  Hsuan- 
wei  partook  of  the  petals  and  straightway  the 
lingering  drift  of  old  sorrows  from  the  days  of 
his  ignorance  melted  like  snow  from  his  heart. 
And  with  it  went  all  the  pathetic  rubbish  that 
even  a  flower  philosplier  allows  to  accumulate. 
He  became  young  and  divinely  empty,  yet  in 
his  soul  pulsed  new  life.    "Soon  afterwards," 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  211 


says  the  ancient  chronicle,  "he  attained  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  True  Way,  and  shared  the  im- 
mortality of  the  Genii." 

THE  FLOWER  NYMPHS 
Told  by 
CHIN  YUN 

At  the  lower  temple  on  Mount  Lao  the  camel- 
lias are  twenty  feet  in  height,  and  many  spans 
in  circumference.  The  peonies  are  more  than 
ten  feet  high  ；  and  when  the  flowers  are  in  bloom 
the  effect  is  that  of  gorgeous  tapestry. 

There  was  a  Mr.  Huang,  of  Chiao-chow,  who 
built  himself  a  house  at  that  spot,  for  the  pur- 
poses of  study  ；  and  one  day  he  saw  from  his 
window  a  young  lady  dressed  in  white  wander- 
ing about  amongst  the  flowers.  Reflecting  that 
she  could  not  possibly  belong  to  the  monastery, 
he  went  out  to  meet  her,  but  she  had  already  dis- 
appeared. After  this  he  freuquently  observed 
her,  and  once  hid  himself  in  a  thick-foliaged 
bush,  waiting  for  her  to  come.  By-and-by  she 
appeared,  bringing  with  her  another  young  lady 
dressed  in  red,  who,  as  he  noticed  from  his  dis- 
tant, point  of  observation,  was  an  exceedingly 
good-looking    girl.    When    they  approached 


212  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


nearer,  the  young  lady  in  the  red  dress  ran  back, 
saying  "There  is  a  man  here!"  whereupon  Mr. 
Huan  jumped  out  upon  them,  and  away  they 
went  in  a  scare,  with  their  skirts  and  long  sleeves 
fluttering  in  the  breeze,  and  perfuming  the  air 
around.  Huang  pursued  them  as  far  as  a  low 
wall,  where  they  suddenly  vanished  from  his 
gaze.  In  great  distress  at  thus  losing  the  fair 
creatures,  he  took  a  pencil  and  wrote  upon  a  tree 
the  following  lines: ― 

The  pangs  of  love  my  heart  enthrall 

As  I  stand  opposite  this  wall. 
I  dread  some  hateful  tyrant's  power. 

With  none  to  save  you  in  that  hour. 

Returning  home  he  was  absorbed  in  his  own 
thoughts,  when  all  at  once  the  young  lady  walked 
in,  and  he  rose  up  joyfully  to  meet  her.  "I 
thought  you  were  a  brigand,"  said  his  visitor, 
smiling  ；  "you  nearly  frightened  me  to  death. 
I  did  not  know  you  were  a  great  scholar  whose 
acquaintance  I  now  hope  to  have  the  honour  of 
making."  Mr.  Huang  asked  the  young  lady 
her  name,  etc.,  to  which  she  replied,  "My  name 
is  Hsiang-yu,  and  I  belong  to  P'ingk'ang- 
hsiang;  but  a  magician  has  condemned  me  to  re- 
main on  this  hill  much  against  my  own  inclin- 
ation."   "Tell  me  his  name,"  cried  Huang,  "and 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  213 


I'll  soon  set  you  free."  "There  is  no  need  for 
that,"  answered  the  young  lady;  "I  suffer  no 
injury  from  him,  and  the  place  is  not  an  incon- 
venient one  for  making  the  acquaintance  of  such 
worthy  gentlemen  as  yourself."  Huang  then 
inquired  who  was  the  young  lady  in  red,  and  she 
told  him  that  her  name  was  Chiang-hsueh,  and 
that  they  were  half-sisters  ；  "and  now,"  added 
she,  "I  will  sing  you  a  song;  but  please  don't 
laugh  at  me."    She  then  began  as  follows: ― 

In  pleasant  company  the  hours  fly  fast, 

And  through  the  window  daybreak  peeps  at  last. 
Ah,  would  that,  like  the  swallow  and  his  mate. 
To  live  together  were  our  happy  fate. 

Huang  here  grasped  her  hand  and  said, 
"Beauty  without  and  intellect  within ― enough  to 
make  a  man  love  you  and  forget  all  about  death, 
only  one  day's  absence  being  like  the  separation 
of  a  thousand  miles.  I  pray  you  come  again 
whenever  an  opportunity  may*  present  itself." 
From  this  time  the  young  lady  would  frequently 
walk  in  to  have  a  chat,  but  would  never  bring 
her  sister  with  her  in  spite  of  all  Mr.  Huang's 
entreaties.  Huang  thought  they  weren't  friends, 
but  Hsiang  said  her  sister  did  not  care  for  so- 
ciety in  the  same  way  that  she  herself  did,  prom- 
ising at  the  same  time  to  try  and  persuade  her 


214  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


to  come  at  some  future  day.  On  the  evening 
of  the  Feast  of  Lanterns,  Hsiang-yu  arrived  in 
a  melancholy  frame  of  mind,  and  told  Huang 
that  he  was  wanting  more  when  he  couldn't  even 
keep  what  he  had  got;  "for  to-morrow,"  said  she, 
"we  part."  Huang  asked  what  she  meant  ；  and 
then,  wiping  away  her  tears  with  her  sleeve, 
Hsiang-yu  declared  it  was  destiny,  and  that  she 
couldn't  well  tell  him.  "Your  former  prophecy," 
continued  she,  "has  come  too  true;  and  now  it 
may  well  be  said  of  me  

Fallen  into  the  tyrant's  power, 

With  none  to  save  me  in  that  hour." 

Huang  again  tried  to  question  her,  but  she 
would  tell  him  nothing  ；  and  by-and-by  she  rose 
and  took  her  leave.  This  seemed  very  strange  ； 
however,  next  day  a  visitor  came,  who,  after 
wandering  round  the  garden,  was  much  taken 
with  a  white  peony,  which  he  dug  up  and  car- 
ried away  with  him.  Huang  now  awaked  to 
the  fact  that  Hsiang-yu  was  a  flower  nymph, 
and  became  very  disconsolate  in  consequence  of 
what  had  happened;  but  when  he  subsequently 
heard  that  the  peony  only  lived  a  few  days  after 
being  taken  away,  he  wept  bitterly,  and  com- 
posed an  elegy  in  fifty  stanzas,  besides  going 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  215 


daily  to  the  hole  from  which  it  had  been  taken, 
and  watering  the  ground  with  his  tears.  One 
day,  as  he  was  returning  thence,  he  espied  the 
young  lady  of  the  red  clothes  also  wiping  away 
her  tears  alongside  the  hole  and  immediately 
walked  back  gently  toward  her.  She  did  not 
run  away,  and  Huang  grasping  her  sleeve, 
joined  with  her  in  her  lamentations.  When  these 
were  concluded  he  invited  her  to  his  house,  and 
then  she  burst  out  with  a  sigh,  saying,  "Alas! 
that  the  sister  of  my  early  years  should  be  thus 
suddenly  taken  from  me.  Hearing  you,  Sir, 
mourn  as  you  did,  I  have  also  been  moved  to 
tears.  Those  you  shed  have  sunk  down  deep  to 
the  realms  below,  and  may  perhaps  succeed  in 
restoring  her  to  us;  but  the  sympathies  of  the 
dead  are  destroyed  for  ever,  and  how  then  can 
she  laugh  and  talk  with  us  again?"  "My  luck 
is  bad,"  said  Huang,  "that  I  should  injure  those 
I  love,  neither  can  I  have  the  good  fortune  to 
draw  towards  me  another  such  a  beauty.  But 
tell  me,  when  I  often  sent  messages  by  Hsiang- 
yu  to  you,  why  did  you  not  come?"  "I  knew, 
replied  she,  "what  nine  young  fellows  out  of 
ten  are;  but  I  did  not  know  what  you  were." 
She  then  took  leave,  Husang  telling  her  how 
dull  he  felt  without  Hsiang-yu,  and  begging  her 


216  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


to  come  again.  For  some  days  she  did  not  ap- 
pear ； and  Huang  remained  in  a  state  of  great 
melancholy,  tossing  and  turning  on  his  bed  and 
wetting  the  pillow  with  his  tears,  until  one  night 
he  got  up,  put  on  his  clothes,  and  trimmed  the 
lamp;  and  having  called  for  pen  and  ink,  he 
composed  the  following  lines : ― 

On  my  cottage  roof  the  evening  rain-drops  beat; 
I  draw  the  blind  and  near  the  window  take  my  seat. 
To  my  longing  gaze  no  loved  one  appears  ； 
Drip,  drip,  drip,  drip  ：  fast  flow  my  tears. 

This  he  read  aloud  ；  and  when  he  had  finished, 
a  voice  outside  said,  "You  want  some  one  to  cap 
your  verses  there!"  Listening  attentively,  he 
knew  it  was  Chiang-hsueh  and  opening  the  door 
he  let  her  in.  She  looked  at  his  stanza  and  added 
impromptu  

She  is  no  longer  in  the  room; 

A  single  lamp  relieves  the  gloom  ； 

One  solitary  man  is  there  ； 

He  and  his  shadow  make  a  pair. 

As  Huang  read  these  words  his  tears  fell  fast; 
and  then,  turning  to  Chiang-hsueh,  he  upbraided 
her  for  not  having  been  to  see  him.  "I  can't 
come  so  often  as  Hsiang-yu  did,"  replied  she, 
"but  only  now  and  then  when  you  are  very 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  217 


dull."  After  this  she  used  to  drop  in  occasion- 
ally and  Huang  said  Hsiang-yu  was  his  beloved 
wife,  and  she  his  dear  friend,  always  trying  to 
find  out  every  time  she  came  which  flower  in  the 
garden  she  was,  that  he  might  bring  her  home 
with  him,  and  save  her  from  the  fate  of  Hsiang- 
yu.  "The  old  earth  should  not  be  disturbed," 
said  she,  "and  it  would  not  do  any  good  to  tell 
you.  If  you  couldn't  keep  your  wife  always 
with  you,  how  will  you  be  sure  of  keeping  a 
friend?"  Huang,  however,  paid  no  heed  to 
this,  and  seizing  her  arm,  led  her  out  into  the  gar- 
den, where  he  stopped  at  every  peony  and  asked 
if  this  was  the  one  ；  to  which  Chiang-hsueh  made 
no  reply,  but  only  put  her  hand  to  her  mouth 
and  laughed. 

At  New  Year's,  during  the  Feast  of  Lan- 
terns Huang  went  home,  and  a  couple  of  months 
afterwards  he  dreamt  that  Chiang-hsueh  came 
to  tell  him  she  was  in  great  trouble,  begging  him 
to  hurry  off  as  soon  as  possible  to  her  rescue. 
When  he  woke  up,  he  thought  his  dream  a  very 
strange  one;  and  ordering  his  servant  and  horses 
to  be  ready,  started  at  once  for  the  hills.  There 
he  found  that  the  priests  were  about  to  build  a 
new  room;  and  finding  a  camellia  in  the  way, 
the  contractor  had  given  orders  that  it  should  be 


218  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


cut  down.  Huang  now  understood  his  dream, 
and  immediately  took  steps  to  prevent  the  de- 
struction of  the  flower.  That  night  Chiang- 
hsueh  came  to  thank  him,  and  Huang  laughed 
and  said,  "It  serves  you  right  for  not  telling 
me  which  you  were.  Xow  I  know  you,  and  if 
you  don't  come  and  see  me,  I'll  get  a  firebrand 
and  make  it  hot  for  you."  "That's  just  why 
I  didn't  tell  you  before,"  replied  she.  "The 
presence  of  my  dear  friend,"  said  Huang,  after 
a  pause,  "makes  me  think  more  of  my  lost  wife. 
It  is  long  since  I  have  mourned  for  her.  Shall 
we  go  and  bemoan  her  loss  together?"  So  they 
went  off  and  shed  many  a  tear  on  the  spot  where 
formerly  Hsiang-yu  had  stood,  until  at  last 
Chiang-hsueh  wiped  her  eyes  and  said  it  was 
time  to  go.  A  few  evenings  later  Huang  was 
sitting  alone,  when  suddenly  Chiang-hsueh  en- 
tered, her  face  radiant  with  smiles.  "Good 
news!"  cried  she;  "the  Flower-God,  moved  by 
your  tears,  has  granted  Hsiang-yu  a  return  to 
life.  Huang  was  overjoyed,  and  asked  when 
she  would  come  ；  to  which  Chiang-hsueh  replied, 
that  she  could  not  say  for  certain,  but  that  it 
would  not  be  long.  "I  came  here  on  your  ac- 
count," said  Huang  ；  "don't  let  me  be  duller 
than  you  can  help."    "AH  right,"  answered  she, 


CHINESE   NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  219 


and  then  went  away,  not  returning  for  the  next 
two  evenings.  Huang  then  went  into  the  gar- 
den and  threw  his  arms  around  her  plant,  en- 
treating her  to  come  and  see  him,  though  with- 
out eliciting  any  response.  He  accordingly 
went  back,  and  began  twisting  up  a  torch,  wlien 
all  at  once  in  she  came,  and  snatching  the  torch 
out  of  his  hand,  threw  it  away,  saying,  "You're 
a  bad  fellow,  and  I  don't  like  you,  and  I  sha'n't 
have  any  more  to  do  with  you."  However, 
Huang  soon  succeeded  in  pacifying  her,  and  by- 
and-by  in  walked  Hsiang-yu  herself.  Huang 
now  wept  tears  of  joy  as  he  seized  her  hand,  and 
drawing  Chiang-hsiieh  towards  them,  the  three 
friends  mingled  their  tears  together.  They  then 
sat  down  and  talked  over  the  miseries  of  separ- 
ation, Huang  meanwhile  noticing  that  Hsiang- 
yu  seemed  to  be  unsubstantial,  and  that  when 
he  grasped  her  hand  his  fingers  seemed  to  close 
only  on  themselves,  and  not  as  in  the  days  gone 
by.  This  Hsiang-yu  explained,  saying,  "When 
I  was  a  flower-nymph  I  had  a  body  ；  but  now  I 
am  only  the  disembodied  spirit  of  that  flower. 
Do  not  regard  me  as  a  reality,  but  rather  as  an 
apparition  seen  in  a  dream."  "You  have  come 
at  the  nick  of  time,"  cried  Chiang-hsueh  ；  "your 
husband  there  was  getting  troublesome."  Hsi- 


220  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


ang-yu  now  instructed  Hsuang  to  take  a  little 
powdered  white-berry  and  mixing  it  with  some 
sulphur  to  pour  out  a  libation  to  her,  adding, 
"This  day  next  year  I  will  return  your  kindness." 
The  young  ladies  then  went  away,  and  next  day 
Huang  observed  the  shoots  of  a  young  peony 
growing  where  Hsiang-yu  had  once  stood.  So 
he  made  the  libation  as  she  told  him,  and  had  the 
plant  very  carefully  tended,  eveq  building  a 
fence  all  round  to  protect  it.  Hsiang-yu  came 
to  thank  him  for  this,  and  he  proposed  that  the 
plant  should  be  removed  to  his  own  home  ；  but  to 
this  she  would  not  agree,  "for,"  said  she,  "I  am 
not  very  strong,  and  could  not  stand  being  trans- 
planted. Besides,  all  things  have  their  ap- 
pointed place  ；  and  as  I  was  not  originally  in- 
tended for  your  home,  it  might  shorten  my  life 
to  be  sent  there.  We  can  love  each  other  very 
well  here."  Huang  then  asked  why  Chiang- 
hsueh  did  not  come  ；  to  which  Hsiang-yu  replied 
that  they  must  make  her,  and  proceeded  with 
him  into  the  garden,  where,  after  picking  a  blade 
of  grass,  she  measured  upwards  from  the  roots 
of  Chiang-hsiieh's  plant  to  a  distance  of  four 
feet  six  inches,  at  which  point  she  stopped  and 
Huang  began  to  scratch  a  mark  on  the  place 
with  his  nails.    At  that  moment  Chiang-hsueh 


CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS  221 


came  from  behind  the  plant,  and  in  mock  anger 
cried  out,  "You  hussy  you!  what  do  you  aid  that 
wretch  for?"  "Don't  be  angry,  my  dear,"  said 
Hsiang-yu  ；  "help  me  to  amuse  him  for  a  year 
only,  and  then  you  sha'n't  be  bothered  any 
more."  So  they  went  on,  Huang  watching  the 
plant  thrive,  and  by  the  time  the  Feast  of  Lan- 
terns came  it  was  over  two  feet  in  height.  He 
then  went  home,  giving  the  priests  a  handsome 
present,  and  bidding  them  take  great  care  of  it. 
Next  year,  in  the  fourth  moon,  he  returned  and 
found  upon  the  plant  a  bud  just  ready  to  break ； 
and  as  he  was  walking  round,  the  stem  shook 
violently  as  if  it  would  snap,  and  suddenly  the 
bud  opened  into  a  flower  as  large  as  a  plate,  dis- 
closing a  beautiful  maiden  within,  sitting  upon 
one  of  the  pistils,  and  only  a  few  inches  in  height. 
In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  she  had  jumped  out, 
and  lo!  it  was  Hsiang-yu.  "Through  the  wind 
and  the  rain  I  have  waited  for  you,"  cried  she; 
"why  have  you  come  so  late?"  They  then  went 
into  the  house,  where  they  found  Chiang-hsueh 
already  arrived,  and  sat  down  to  enjoy  themselves 
as  they  had  done  in  former  times.  Shortly  after- 
wards Huang's  wife  died,  and  he  took  up  his 
abode  at  Mount  Lao  for  good  and  all.  The 
peonies  were  at  that  time  as  large  round  as  one's 


222  CHINESE  NIGHTS  ENTERTAINMENTS 


arm  ；  and  whenever  Huang  went  to  look  at  them 
he  always  said,  "Some  day  my  spirit  will  be 
there  by  your  sides";  to  which  the  two  girls 
used  to  reply  with  a  laugh,  and  say,  "Mind  you 
don't  forget."  Ten  years  after  these  events, 
Huang  became  dangerously  ill,  and  his  son,  who 
had  come  to  see  him,  was  very  much  distressed 
about  him.  "I  am  about  to  be  bom,"  cried  his 
father  ；  "I  am  not  going  to  die.  Why  do  you 
weep?"  He  also  told  the  priests  that  if  later  on 
they  should  see  a  red  shoot,  with  five  leaves, 
thrusting  itself  forth  alongside  of  the  peony, 
that  would  be  himself.  This  was  all  he  said, 
and  his  son  proceeded  to  convey  him  home,  where 
he  died  immediately  on  arrival.  Next  year  a 
shoot  did  come  up  exactly  as  he  had  mentioned  ； 
and  the  priests,  struck  by  the  coincidence, 
watered  it  and  supplied  it  with  earth.  In  three 
years  it  was  a  tall  plant,  and  a  good  span  in  cir- 
cumference, but  without  flowers.  When  the  old 
priest  died,  the  others  took  no  care  of  it;  and 
as  it  did  not  flower  they  cut  it  down.  The  white 
peony  then  faded  and  died;  and  before  the  next 
Feast  of  Lanterns  the  camellia  was  dead  too. 


THE  END 


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